The Minnesota Wild made yet another move in free agency on Friday as the club agreed to terms with defenseman Victor Bartley, a one-year, two-way deal worth $650,000 in the NHL and $350,000 in the AHL.
Bartley, 28, began his first season of professional puck in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies after going undrafted. His Grizz stint came to a halt once Bartley inked a one-year European contract with Rogle BK (Sweden) in 2011, in which he led the club’s defensemen in points (34) over a 52-game stretch.
His first NHL breakthrough materialized shortly after when he reached a deal with the Nashville Predators, a two-year contract. The Predators stationed him in AHL to polish up his game with the Milwaukee Admirals, where Bartley posted 39 points in 76, good for 10th in the league.
His NHL debut didn’t come until March 2013 — during the abbreviated lock-out season — with Nashville, and was part of a 6-0 win over the Oilers in his first career game.
In January 2016, Bartley was dealt not once, but twice. He was shipped to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for fellow blue-liner Stefan Elliot, and almost immediately after was traded in a package with John Scott to the Montreal Canadiens. Bartley registered nine games for the Habs and was kept off the scoresheet, though he did log six minutes in the sin bin.
That lone goal back in March 2013 marks the first and only tally of his career. He’s added another 13 helpers to his resume but hasn’t recorded an NHL point since the 2012-13 season.
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