Colorado was smacked 5-0 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, so it wasn’t entirely surprising to see a roster shakeup Thursday morning.
The Avs claimed d-man Mark Barberio off waivers from Montreal, per Sportsnet. In a related move, the club waived blueliner Eric Gelinas.
Barberio, 26, is the second player to join Colorado via waivers recently, as ex-Sharks forward Matt Nieto did the same last month. Nieto has been a lineup fixture ever since, and it’s likely Barberio will be the same -- he played 26 games for Montreal, notching four assists while posting pretty solid possession metrics and averaging over 15 minutes per night.
As for Gelinas, today’s move is the latest in a series of low points.
At one time considered a promising young d-man -- he signed a two-year, $3.15 million extension with the Devils in ’15 -- he fell out of favor in New Jersey and was flipped to Colorado at last year’s deadline for a third-round pick.
Things didn’t improve much in Denver. Between this year and the last, he’s only played 32 games while averaging less than 12 minutes per night. Often, he’s been parked in the press box as a healthy scratch.
As for Barberio, he’s in the first of a two-year deal that pays $750,000 annually. So it’s a nice piece of business for the Avs, who will (presumably) send Gelinas to the AHL if he clears waivers.