Justin Barron has been among the NHL's elite since his return to Montreal and here's why

A grey cloud has hung over the Montreal Canadiens since the beginning of the season, due to the unthinkable number of injuries the organization has had to deal with. However, this situation has opened the door to many positives, including the opportunity for some of the CH's young players to make their way in the NHL.

Currently in the big club, there are three young players who seem to have taken advantage of this opportunity with the team, while they had started the year in Laval. I'm talking about forwards Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen, as well as defenseman Justin Barron.

In the case of the 21 year old, there is an absolutely sensational statistic that proves how much of a gem he is to polish in the Tricolore's defensive brigade.

Since his first point of the season on January 17, #52 currently ranks third in points per 60 minutes played among defensemen. That's an amazing performance considering he's only surpassed by two star defensemen, Dougie Hamilton and Erik Karlsson.

In other words, this stat proves that Barron is very effective offensively, if not among the NHL's elite, for the limited amount of playing time he gets each game.

In fact, he ranks even higher in points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, second among the league's defensemen in that regard, as of the same date.

His progression is meteoric and there is a lot to be impressed by in his development. Barron has a lot of potential and he is definitely a key element for the future of the Canadiens' blue line.

Credit: InTheCoulisses

Elliotte Friedman discloses the Boston Bruins' bad start was not the only reason Jim Montgomery was fired

Auston Matthews has returned from Germany and is on the ice: Is he back in the lineup?

Don Cherry shockingly goes against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his latest rant

Former Jack Adams winner is returning and getting hired as head coach per NHL insider Pierre LeBrun

Legendary NHL GM strongly links Nazem Kadri to the Maple Leafs in latest report

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet under fire by fans for his treatment of JT Miller before he left the team

Toronto Maple Leafs connected to several big name centers to replace Max Domi in the top-six

Ryan Reaves' brother bashes Darnell Nurse for his recent comments about the Maple Leafs enforcer

Heartbreaking cancer diagnosis revealed by Vegas Golden Knights organization player

TSN insider reveals superstar NHL goaltender will waive his no-trade clause for the Edmonton Oilers