HabsWorld.net -- 

With Alex Galchenyuk set to return Thursday, the Habs made a pair of roster moves.  They assigned Daniel Carr to St. John’s of the AHL while also placing Mark Barberio on waivers.

Carr has spent the bulk of the season with Montreal although he has been a frequent healthy scratch.  He has played in 31 games this year, scoring two goals while adding six assists and was in the lineup on Tuesday against the Sabres.  He also has two goals and an assist in three games with the IceCaps.

It’s worth noting that Carr is creeping closer and closer to being eligible for waivers himself.  He has played in 54 career NHL games.  His waiver threshold is 60 so it wouldn’t be shocking if he stays in the minors for a little bit to ensure his exemption is intact through the trade deadline.

As for Barberio, this is the second time he has been on waivers this season after being a late cut in training camp.  Since he spent more than 30 days on Montreal’s roster (while also playing over 10 games), he has to clear once again in order to join the IceCaps.

Barberio was a healthy scratch against the Sabres but has suited up in 26 games with the Habs this season, picking up four assists while averaging a little over 15 minutes per game.  On the advanced stats side, his CF% is the second highest on the team at 55.1.  (Interestingly enough, the one that’s higher is Zach Redmond, who cleared waivers earlier this week.)

While he has been more of a depth player with the Canadiens, Barberio has been a force at the minor league level, earning a nod to his second straight All-Star Game.  (Of course, with him being up with the Habs, he had to miss out, something that also happened last year.)  He has 18 points in 20 games with the IceCaps and still sits sixth in team scoring despite up with Montreal since basically late November.

Barberio has another year left on his one-way contract beyond this one with a cap hit of $750,000.  It’s likely that the Habs are hoping that will serve as a deterrent for any team looking to claim him.