When the Montreal Canadiens put Sven Andrighetto under contract last weekend, I applauded the move. He looked great playing on the right wing, filling in for the injured Brendan Gallagher and occasionally playing alongside Tomas Plekanec. Strangely, his offensive contributions flew under the radar as he would be sent down to the St. John’s Ice Caps a few times before closing out the year with the Habs. Signing him to a one-year deal was a smart play by Marc Bergevin, and it will certainly be up to Andrighetto to prove that he’s a capable top-6 right wing despite his small stature and arguably lacklustre two-way game. I liked what I saw of the Swiss player from the moment he played his first shift with the team and would’ve enjoyed seeing his ice-time increase from the average of approximately 14 minutes per game to around 16. Added responsibilities could perhaps help shape his overall game and his speed certainly helps the team improve on their current system of play.
In other (great) news, the Canadiens signed Mark Barberio to a two-year, one-way deal earlier this morning.
Canadiens agree to terms on a two-year contract with defenseman Mark Barberio. -> https://t.co/0jxaeMlkoR pic.twitter.com/GMgEU1Ij11
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 13, 2016
In signing Barberio, the Canadiens’ organization won’t need to worry about free agency when it comes to the Montreal native. His value increased thanks to his very steady and at times pleasantly surprising performances at both ends of the ice. The left-handed, 6’1… 201-lbs mobile defenseman certainly impressed everyone by climbing up the depth chart at such a rapid pace. He’d post 10 points in 30 games, often joining the rush during the transition while undoubtedly holding his own playing on a second or third pairing, depending on the injury situation. A puck-moving defenseman with decent relative size has been sorely lacking on the left side of the blue line, as Nathan Beaulieu is still figuring out his game and might have even been surpassed by Barberio for the time being…
A one-way deal is a vote of confidence by the GM, and I’m certain the 26-year-old will give both Beaulieu and Alexei Emelin a run for their money this upcoming training camp. With Andrei Markov set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, I would be very comfortable knowing that both Beaulieu and Barberio are this club’s top-4 left-handed defenders moving forward. At $750,000 per season, I see that as a steal of a signature. He’ll have two years to prove he deserves a more lucrative, long-term contract.
It’s clear that the latter is enjoying his time playing for his childhood team, and I truly believe that we have yet to see the very best that this player can offer.