Veteran goaltender cut loose just four days after signing PTO

The world of NHL hockey can be merciless at times, and one veteran goaltender is finding out that out the hard way. Just four days after signing a professional tryout, or PTO, with the San Jose Sharks, 35-year-old Aaron Dell has been cut loose, making him a free agent once again.

It seems Aaron Dell will not just have to settle for the AHL, but he'll get just a PTO there as well and is expected to be at the training camp of the San Jose Barracuda soon.

The San Jose Sharks do have a glut of goaltenders attending their training camp, including MacKenzie Blackwood, Gabriel Carriere, Georgi Romanov, and Vitek Vanecek. It's believed Aaron Dell was cut loose being Yaroslav Askarov, who missed the first couple of days of camp with an injury, is ready to hit the ice. Askarov, who is expected to develop into a number one goaltender in the NHL, was picked up in a trade with the Nashville Predators over the summer.

Aaron Dell has been playing in the NHL off and on since 2016. He was never drafted, but did start his career with the San Jose Sharks organization, eventually going on to play for the New Jersey Devils, and the Buffalo Sabres, before heading back to San Jose again in 2022.

Other players cut by the San Jose Sharks today include forwards Nolan Burke, Joe Carroll, Luke Grainger, Ivan Lodnia, Nathan Pilling, Donovan Villeneueve-Houle, and Carson Wetsch, as well as defencemen Jeremie Bucheler, Gannon Laroque, Nate Misskey, and Colton Roberts. Fellow goaltender Dawson Cowan was also let go along with Dell.