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Quebec forward Alex Barré-Boulet was signed by the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, at the opening of the NHL free agency market.
The one-season, one-part deal will earn him $775,000.
Last year, Barré-Boulet had six goals and three assists in 36 games with the Lightning, while he had 19 points, including four goals, in 23 games with the Crunch in the AHL.
“(The CH) was the first team to offer me (a one-part contract). That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have happened from another team later. But the fact that Montreal and Laval are close to each other played into the equation, Barré-Boulet said bluntly.
“Tampa and Syracuse, that’s probably the longest distance between an NHL team and its affiliated club. I was not able to see my two children for more than one month out of eight during the last season,” added the young father of a 2-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl.
Since the start of his professional career, Barré-Boulet, who is originally from Montmagny, has shuttled between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Syracuse Crunch in the American League, with the exception of a two-game stint with the Seattle Kraken.
“In the Lightning organization, I learned not to take anything for granted,” he said. Last year, I got a call-up in February, and by the time I said it, I was back down. When opportunity presents itself, you have to seize it. »
“It’s a winning culture that has taken hold in Tampa. They won in the AHL together, before doing the same in the NHL. I’m thinking of Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat in particular. When you get your call-up (from the minor ranks) with them, usually it’s because you’re doing something good,” he recalled.
In 68 games played in the NHL with the Lightning and the Seattle Kraken, the left-handed forward has totaled 18 points (12 goals, 6 assists).
“My goal when arriving at camp will be to stay in Montreal. I see a great opportunity and it will be up to me to arrive prepared when the summer returns to impress the leaders so that they can give me a real chance from the start of the year,” said Barré-Boulet.
