The Canadiens elected to get their remaining contracts out of the way on Tuesday. A few hours after re-signing Arber Xhekaj, the team announced that they inked Justin Barron to a two-year, $2.3 million contract.
The Habs acquired Barron back at the 2022 trade deadline as part of the Artturi Lehkonen trade with GM Kent Hughes getting what he felt was a possible core right-shot defender into the fold with Barron only being two years removed from being a first-round pick.
But as is often the case with young blueliners, the results have been mixed. Offensively, Barron has held his own in the NHL, notching seven goals and 47 games with the Habs last year and has a dozen tallies in 94 career games. For a defenceman, that’s a pretty high goal total this early in a career.
However, Barron’s defensive play has been more spotty and he has been prone to some periods of consistent struggles. That resulted in him spending time with Laval last season as he got into 32 games with the Rocket, picking up 11 points.
With nearly 100 NHL games under his belt and an above-average goal total for a defender, it’s no surprise that Barron was able to command a seven-figure one-way deal despite not yet becoming a full-fledged regular at the top level. But at the same time, the lack of a regular role made a bridge deal a foregone conclusion.
While it’s worth mentioning that Barron’s $1.15 million cap hit can be fully buried should he be sent back to Laval, getting him there will be harder now. Barron is now waiver-eligible and as a 22-year-old right-shot blueliner with some NHL experience, first-round pedigree, and an affordable price tag, it’s fair to suggest it’s quite unlikely he’d pass through waivers unclaimed to be sent to the Rocket.
With his signing and Xhekaj’s earlier today, the Habs now have just over $5.45 million in cap room, per PuckPedia. That gives them ample space to add should an opportunity present itself later in the summer. Failing that, it will allow them to not start the year in LTIR which could allow them to avoid the bonus carryover charges they’ve dealt with in recent seasons.
