Avalanche claim Mark Barberio, place Eric Gelinas on waivers

As the Colorado Avalanche skid through the second half of the NHL season, the team is making the most of their waiver priority status, first claiming Matt Nieto in January, and now adding defenseman Mark Barberio into the mix. The 26-year-old defenseman from Montreal has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL frequently since making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012 and has never played more than 52 games in an NHL season.

Molded as a smooth offensive defenseman, Barberio has had considerable scoring success in the AHL, but has struggled to translate that production to the NHL level, where he has just 8 goals and 31 points in 159 games played. This season Barberio has 4 assists in 26 games with the Montreal Canadiens and has played respectably, but last week’s trade for defenseman Nikita Nesterov combined with other players returning from injury forced the journeyman defenseman back onto waivers. At 26, there’s not likely to be a lot of growth from Barberio moving forward, but the player the Avalanche acquire today is a decidedly fringe third-pairing defenseman with decent possession driving numbers. Barberio won’t save the sinking ship that is the Avalanche’s season, but for a team looking for answers anywhere they can, he’s a solid low-risk piece to help bolster the depth of their system.

Selected 152nd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, Barberio won a QMJHL Championship with the Moncton Wildcats, where he served as an alternate captain. In the AHL, Barberio won another championship, the Calder Cup, as a member of the Norfolk Admirals. The three-time AHL All-Star and one time Eddie Shore Award winner has served as an alternate captain for both Montreal and Tampa Bay’s AHL teams.

Perhaps the biggest benefit for the Avalanche is Barberio’s contract status heading into the expansion draft. Barberio is signed for this and next year at a measly $750K before becoming a UFA in 2018. According to the NHL, each team is required to expose: “One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.” The only Avalanche defenseman who fit that description today are Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, Francois Beauchemin, and Nikita Zadorov however, if Barberio plays in 14 of the Avalanche’s remaining games this season, he will fill the minimum requirements for the expansion draft this summer. Getting the already signed Barberio over the 70 game mark will allow the Avalanche to more easily protect the most important pieces of their ramshackle blueline.

In a corresponding move, the Avalanche have placed defenseman Eric Gelinas on waivers. It stands to reason that the left-handed defenseman will be replaced in the lineup by the newly acquired Barberio. After a strong training camp, Gelinas has struggled mightily with the Avalanche this season, registering just 1 assist in 26 games, and logging a team low 11:44 per game among defensemen. The Avalanche acquired Gelinas from the New Jersey Devils at last year’s trade deadline in return for a 3rd round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft.