Gabriel is a 27-year-old winger, who spent the 2019-20 season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he scored five goals and nine points in 53 games. Gabriel has played 38 career NHL games, split between the Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils, and has scored two goals and five points in that time. He can add a physical presence for the bottom-six, considering he stands at 6-foot-3, weighs 220 pounds, and has totalled 98 penalty minutes in those 38 NHL games.
That said, chances are Gabriel was added for organizational depth and will head to the AHL, rather than taking a spot in the Sharks’ lineup. San Jose has done a good job adding some forward depth in the offseason and it could be a good idea to use the few open spots to filter in younger players with higher ceilings.
Gabriel will get the chance to fight for a spot in the bottom-six, however, and extra depth is certainly better than no depth.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
What do you think Kurtis Gabriel's role will be with the Sharks?
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