Canadiens Sign Former QMJHL Defensemen to Two-Year Contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed former QMJHL defenseman Justin Barron to a two-year, $2.3 million contract. The deal kicks in this upcoming season and will see him make an average annual salary of $1.15 million.

The 22-year-old defenseman has yet to play a full season in the NHL, but put up 7 goals and 13 points in 48 games last season.

When it comes to his junior playing days, Barron decided to take a different route from older brother Morgan, who put up 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season. Rather than going to play university hockey in the United States, Barron chose to stay a little closer to home.

During his time in the QMJHL, Barron amassed 11 goals and 112 points in 186 games as a member of his hometown team, the Halifax Mooseheads. He was a steady defender who liked to join the rush and often generate offense from the point. The Colorado Avalanche saw these qualities when they selected him with the 25th overall pick in 2020.

During his time in the QMJHL, Barron also made an appearance on the big stage. He represented Canada in the 2021 World Junior Championship, where his team was defeated by the Americans in the finals.

The next season, Barron graduated from the QMJHL, but didn't have time to make himself too comfortable. During the 2022 trade deadline, the Avalanche packaged him with a second-round pick in 2024 to acquire Artturi Lehkonen, who was a pivotal member of their Stanley Cup run.

Since then in Montreal, Barron bounced between the Canadiens and the Laval Rocket in the AHL. This season, he'll have another opportunity to crack the lineup full-time under head coach Martin St-Louis.