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Dell made a brief pit stop in New Jersey last season following four years in San Jose and it didn't go well. He saw seven games worth of action, posting a horrific 1-5-0 record, 4.14 GAA and .857 save percentage. Dell gave up four goals in three of his seven appearances and allowed at least three goals in five of the seven. With his free agent options limited, Dell signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with Buffalo. The Sabres appear committed to giving top goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen more time to marinate, meaning Dell is likely to split time with another new acquisition, Craig Anderson. You wouldn't think any NHL club would be comfortable rolling with a Dell and Anderson duo to begin the year, but this is the Sabres we're talking about. Dell finds himself miles and miles away from fantasy relevance in his new home.
Dell played 33 games for the Sharks last year, posting a 12-15-3 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .907 save percentage. That was enough for him to snag a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs, where he'll compete with Jack Campbell for the backup role behind Frederik Andersen. Part of Dell's struggles last year can be attributed to how bad the Sharks were as a team. A better defense in Toronto should help improve Dell's numbers across the board if he gets a chance to play, but Campbell should be favored for the No. 2 job. The 31-year-old Dell is likely not going to be an option for fantasy managers barring a trade to a team with a need in the crease.
Dell faltered in the 2018-19 campaign, as his 3.17 GAA and .886 save percentage through 20 starts and 25 total games kept him isolated from a top-60 ranking among NHL goaltenders. Still, the Alberta native managed a winning record (10-8-4) behind San Jose's plus-28 goal differential, and Dell will now take aim at a fourth straight season of cracking double-digit wins. Improving in shorthanded situations is critical if Martin Jones' understudy plans to right the ship. Last year, he permitted 17 goals on 84 shots for a dismal .798 save percentage when the Sharks were on the penalty kill, and Dell can ill-afford further regression now that he's entering a contract year. From a fantasy perspective, the respectable win totals keep Dell from falling off the map entirely, but he's a tough sell in season-long leagues due to the sparse workload and fading splits.
Dell was pretty solid as Martin Jones' backup last campaign, compiling a 15-5-4 record while posting a 2.64 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 29 appearances. The 29-year-old is a competent backup, but he's not going to push Jones for San Jose's starting job, and he'll be hard-pressed to surpass 30 appearances in 2018-19. Unless Jones sustains a long-term injury, Dell's fantasy value will be limited to owners in need of a spot starter this season.
Only a handful of backup goalies can entice fantasy owners like the 28-year-old from Alberta. Coming off a rookie season operating as the understudy to Martin Jones, Dell crafted an 11-6-1 record along with robust peripherals (2.00 GAA, .931 save percentage) over 17 starts and 20 games in all. It didn't take long for daily players to meticulously track his scheduled starts, using the low-priced goaltender as a building block for lineups otherwise stacked with elite-level skaters. As a true testament to his perseverance, Dell kept Lithuanian prospect Mantas Armalis -- now an unrestricted free agent -- off the NHL's ice for the entire campaign. Consider handcuffing Dell to Jones in season-long leagues and lock him up in DFS when the matchups are juicy.
All signs point to Dell competing with Mantas Armalis for the backup goalie gig in San Jose this upcoming season. While Armalis is the bigger puck plugger, it's Dell who should have the upper hand while playing second fiddle to Martin Jones since he's the one experienced with minor-league affiliate AHL San Jose. With the Baby Sharks, he's fashioned a 32-24-8 record, 0.924 save percentage, and 2.24 save mark averaged out over the past two seasons. Health permitting, starting backstop Martin Jones should grab over 60 starts which leaves Dell as little more than handcuff in the fantasy realm.