As the 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.