The Washington Capitals have re-signed Riley Barber to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $650K at the NHL level. Barber is coming off his entry-level contract and was a restricted free agent, but will forgo any more negotiation and start working on trying to crack the Capitals next season.
Barber, 24, put up his second 20-goal campaign with the Hershey Bears in 2017-18, registering 38 points in 60 games. The former Miami University (Ohio) standout has developed into a key piece for the AHL Bears, and could play a part for the Capitals at some point as a depth forward. Most people will remember Barber from his days with USA Hockey, winning gold at the U18 Worlds before captaining the gold-medal winning 2014 World Junior team that included names like Jack Eichel, Will Butcher, Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei.
A sixth-round pick of Washington in 2012, Barber is at worst an excellent player for the Capitals at the minor league level and at best a bottom-six forward for the minimum salary. He did play three games for the team in the 2016-17 season, but will have to fight and claw to get back to the NHL at this point.