When Mark Barberio went on waivers back in February of 2017, the Colorado Avalanche used their spot high atop the pecking order to bring him to Denver. He would make his Avalanche debut two days later on a defense that featured Eric Gelinas, Francois Beauchemin, Cody Goloubef, Patrick Wiercioch, and Nikita Zadorov. While they won that game 5-2, looking back on that group it isn’t hard to see why they finished last in the NHL.

Fast forward to today and only Barberio and Zadorov are still in the NHL, let alone still on the Avalanche. Barberio had a chance to leave last summer but chose to stay when the club offered him a two-year deal worth $2.9 million. For a player who had bounced around a bit before landing in Denver, the contract represented security but to him, it was an opportunity to continue to play in a place that has become home.

“For me, it was just the fit in this group,” Barberio explained. “Ever since I’ve come along and got picked up here, I’ve felt right at home. I love being part of this dressing room. There’s such a great camaraderie and I want to be part of it. I like where this organization is heading and I think we’re going in the right direction. We made huge steps last year in making the playoffs and I want to be…I told my agent right from the start I want to be part of it and that was my first goal going into the summer and I’m glad we got it done quickly.”

Multiple years and an increase in salary made it easy to say yes but ultimately what sold Barberio on staying in Denver was the feeling this team was headed for something meaningful.

“I love being part of this team,” Barberio said. “This team has great history and we’re going in the right direction. I love the youth that’s coming up. It’s just a fun group to be part of and I wanted to continue to be part of it.”

The Avalanche call the uber-competitive Central Division home and players can’t help but keep an eye on what happens around the league and, specifically, what happens in the division. Do those moves really matter to the players?

“You follow the league and follow what’s going on throughout the summer,” Barberio said. “End of the day, our focus has to be on us. It’s on us to play well and be prepared to play each game.”

The focus on self is a change in attitude for an Avalanche club that in recent years had been full of players who were too quick to point fingers elsewhere. Having made the postseason last year, this is a group driven to get back there and ready to put in the work necessary to recreate the success of last year’s team.

“It comes down to us,” Barberio said. “Just because we made the playoffs last year doesn’t mean we’re automatically in this year. Every year is its own story and the league is too strong to just assume you’re going to get in. We have to have that same humble mentality of going in and grinding every single night. I know the guys we have, the character we have in the room and there’s no reason we can’t compete for playoffs again.”

In looking back to the group of defensemen when Barberio arrived to the group there is now, it’s a striking difference from just 19 months ago. There were times when Barberio was slotted next to Erik Johnson on the top pairing. As this team goes through the preseason, Barberio is just fighting for a roster spot, let alone playing in a role next to Johnson. Despite the decreased role, Barberio likes where this group is.

“I think it’s really important to have healthy competition within our group,” Barberio said. “Everybody is pushing each other for ice time and to get in the lineup. That’s a good thing. You can’t have enough depth. I think we saw last year when the injury bug bit us a bit towards the end of the season we were starting to get a little thin so I think it’s important to have quality guys with the big club as well as with the Eagles. Guys that can come in and step in and do what we’re trying to do.”

Even with the new deal in place, he’s not worried about losing his job? Not even a little?

“You’ve got to appreciate it,” Barberio said of his opportunities to prove himself. “It keeps you honest. You keep trying to improve yourself. At one point, I was the young guy trying to come up and steal a job so…that’s the beauty of hockey. You’ve got to stay honest, stay humble, and never get too ahead of yourself. It’s why you’ve got to appreciate that competition.”

That kind of team-first attitude exemplifies the wholesale change in perspective from a room that used to be just a little too selfish. With guys like Gabe Bourque up front and Barberio on the back end, the Avalanche have found the kind of character guys who play small-but-vital roles on contending teams.