NHL Midseason Report Card: A Look At Ivan Barbashev

Has Ivan Barbashev lived up to the big contract he got this past offseason? Where has he been good and where can he improve?

Pittsburgh Penguins v Vegas Golden Knights
Pittsburgh Penguins v Vegas Golden Knights | Candice Ward/GettyImages
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Remember when Golden Knights fans were freaking out over not getting Ivan Barbashev re-signed? Jack Eichel was going to lose his linemate and all chaos would've ensued. Buildings would've collapsed, with the entire Las Vegas Strip crumbling to the ground. Lake Mead would've dried up, revealing more obscurities from within. We'll need more concrete answers.

Well, the Vegas Golden Knights got Ivan Barbashev back this past summer. Getting the Russian forward signed to a five-year, $25 million deal, Vegas secured their star and everything went back to normal. On top of that, Adin Hill came back with him, ensuring Vegas got their two postseason heroes locked up.

While Hill has been a roaring success, Barbashev has been placed under the microscope. More fans have looked at how he's functioned in different aspects of Bruce Cassidy's system. With that, let's look at where the center's strengths and weaknesses lie. Come on, Barby! Let's go party!

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