Marc Bergevin continues to deal with his restricted free agents early as on Monday, the Habs announced the re-signing of defenceman Mark Barberio to a two year deal with a reported cap hit of $750,000.
Barberio joined the Canadiens last offseason after failing to receive a qualifying offer from Tampa Bay in late June. He inked a two-way deal at that time and began the season with St. John’s of the AHL. He suited up in 20 games with the IceCaps, picking up two goals and 20 assists, earning himself an All-Star nod in the process.
However, he didn’t get to suit up in the AHL All-Star Classic as he was recalled to the big club in late December and he played well enough to stay for the rest of the season. He played in a total of 30 games with the Habs, scoring twice and added eight helpers while averaging 14:59 per night of ice time. Barberio also played on both the left and right sides on the blueline; that type of versatility should come in handy moving forward.
With this signing, the Habs now have seven defencemen under one way contracts for 2016-17. Barberio becomes the 40th player under contract for next season out of the limit of 50 although two of those (Noah Juulsen and Michael McNiven) are eligible to slide for another year.
