The Canadiens made a low-key free agent signing late on the opening day of free agency, signing left-handling defenceman Mark Barberio to a one-year, two-way contract. Barberio’s contract is for slightly more than the league minimum NHL salary, coming in with an NHL portion $600 000, with a guaranteed AHL value of $325 000.
#canadiens Mark Barberio 1 year / $600 000 2 way ($325 000 garanti)
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 1, 2015
The Montreal native will further help to fill the hole at left defence in the organization, and will likely be placed on waivers to play in St. John’s before the AHL season begins.
Barberio has been an effective player in a limited NHL career, outperforming his third-pairing minutes in several categories. In 103 games over three seasons of NHL experience, Barberio has contributed six goals and 11 assists, but his main talents are keeping the puck away from his own end of the ice
Unqualified by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 25-year-old Barberio will still be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal, giving Bergevin some control on the future of a competent depth defender.
