Alex Barré-Boulet was a good AHL signing.
I remember for years I would talk about Alex Barré-Boulet. He wasn’t the biggest guy at 5’10” but he could skate, and he had the tools of a skilled player. The biggest problem was he was stuck in the Tampa Bay Lightning system during their Cup years.
As it turns out, he probably just wasn’t good enough to make it. The Lightning gave him more than ample time to develop and numerous chances at the NHL level. In 70 NHL games, including two this year with the Canadiens, he only produced 18 points. That’s not horrific but it’s not enough to stick in the best league in the world.
When Barré-Boulet plays in the AHL there is a significant difference in his play. It’s probably the speed of the game being slower than the AHL and that’s enough of a difference to be a seasoned scorer down there. With Laval, he has 19 points in 17 games.
At 27, he looks like an emergency call up kind of guy and that’s it. There’s no shame in that. The fans clearly like him and he produces. The fact that he only gets 4% defensive zone starts tells the story. According to InStat, he only averages three shots per game. I can’t explain that one.
As a player, the best way I can explain this is he would be a third line or bust NHLer. He’s not offensive enough to be in the top six and not good enough defensively to be a fourth line player.