The Sabres appear to be set to get Craig Anderson back on Saturday night, lessening their need for goaltending depth. Accordingly, the team announced it has placed netminder Aaron Dell on waivers.
Dell was in the news earlier this week when he received a three-game suspension for his hit on Senators winger Drake Batherson. Two games still remain on that ban, one of which is Saturday night in Arizona. As long as he’s on the active roster and not moved to non-roster status, he still should get credit for serving the second game of his suspension even while being on waivers.
It has been a rough season on the ice as well for the 32-year-old, as he has struggled mightily in his NHL action so far. He has played in a dozen games for Buffalo in 2021-22, recording just one victory while posting a 4.03 goals-against average and a save percentage of just .893. Those numbers are actually better than what he put up in seven games with New Jersey last season, which is what led to him settling for a two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K in the NHL and $350K in the minors.
Despite all that, there is still a chance that Dell is claimed. Several teams are dealing with injuries between the pipes at the moment and could view the veteran as a short-term stopgap to allow a prospect currently on recall to return to the minors. If that doesn’t happen, Buffalo could opt to immediately send Dell down or keep him on its roster through the weekend to clear the remainder of his suspension and then send him to the taxi squad or AHL Rochester.
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