The San Jose Sharks added four more pieces on Thursday as Mike Grier continued filling out the organization after his bigger moves on July 1. These are the kind of signings meant to stabilize the pipeline, with all four players expected to land with the San Jose Barracuda this season.
The headliner is Alex Barre-Boulet, a former Tampa Bay Lightning forward who brings the most offensive upside of the group. He’s also the most likely to get NHL games at some point this season, but the Sharks are clearly banking on him to drive production in the AHL. Last year, the 29-year-old finished second in the league in points, behind only Syracuse Crunch standout Jakob Pelletier.
Barre-Boulet signed a two-year deal carrying a cap hit of $875k per season.
San Jose also brought in two of Barre-Boulet’s former Colorado Eagles teammates, Kyle Keyser and Tye Felhaber. Of that pair, Felhaber looks like the better bet to make a real impact for the Barracuda. He put up 15 goals and 31 points in 63 games for Colorado last season.
Keyser is a goalie who has typically bounced between the AHL and ECHL, so his path looks more straightforward: he’ll probably back up Matt Davis in San Jose unless Connor Hasley wins that job instead.
The last addition, Brett Leason, is another player with a shot to see NHL action this season. He was an NHL regular for the Anaheim Ducks not too long ago, but with the Sharks crowded in the bottom six, he appears headed for a bigger role with the Barracuda. Last season, Leason scored 14 goals and totaled 44 points in 56 games for the Hershey Bears.
In Other News...
Sharks Add Forward Who Could Reignite A Familiar Fan Debate
The Sharks have added another forward with a track record of producing in the minors, signing center Alex Barre-Boulet as an unrestricted free agent. Barre-Boulet spent most of his career in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and comes to San Jose after a standout AHL season with the Colorado Eagles, where he was one of the leagues most productive scorers and added a different kind of offensive profile to the organizations forward group.
For Sharks fans, the name alone may bring back a familiar debate about whether a player with real skill can finally turn AHL success into a lasting NHL role. Barre-Boulet has already gotten a taste of the league with 68 NHL games on his resume, but the next step in San Jose will be proving he can hold that pace at the top level. The contract details have not yet been disclosed, leaving a little uncertainty around how the team plans to fit him in. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Just Lost A Familiar Blue Line Leader To Free Agency
Mario Ferraros run as a familiar part of the Sharks blue line has come to an end, closing the book on a player who grew from a 2017 draft pick into one of the organizations steadiest voices. He spent seven NHL seasons with San Jose and wore the alternate captains letter for four of them, a sign of how much the team leaned on his presence as much as his minutes.
His game was never built around flash, but around defending, blocking shots and playing through the hardest shifts San Jose could throw at him. That made him a useful piece in plenty of ways and a difficult one to fully grade in the bigger picture, especially given the kind of situations he was asked to absorb. Now the Sharks have to sort out what they lose in reliability, leadership and edge on the back end, even as the full impact of his departure settles in. [Read more 🡒]