Sharks Unexpectedly Terminate Contract of 31-Year-Old Forward

With one of the youngest teams in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks are likely to keep getting younger this off-season, as they posses the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and plenty of cash to spend in free agency.

However, with the off-season on the horizon, the team made a surprising announcement on Friday, revealing that they have parted ways with 31-year old forward Andrew Poturalski.

The formerly un-drafted forward came to the team this past season as depth for their AHL squad, and despite having a solid year, tallying 30 goals and 73 points in 59 games played for the San Jose Barracuda, he only saw action in three NHL games for the Sharks.

According to the announcement, Poturalski is seeking opportunities outside of North America, and despite being under contract, the team allowed him to walk away to seek a bigger role on a team, likely in Europe given his production in the AHL thus far.

Debuting back in 2016/17 for the Carolina Hurricanes, Poturalski would play in nine games between Carolina, Seattle and San Jose, tallying just three assists in that span, and while he can clearly produce at the AHL level, this move appears to be made knowing that he's unlikely to make an impact beyond that in North America.

Perhaps in the coming years he may look to make a comeback to North America and pursue the NHL dream again, but for now, Poturalski is done at the NHL level and he appears to be headed overseas.