Western Pa. native Riley Barber looks forward to leaving Capitals

Jonathan Bombulie | Wednesday, May 8, 2019 12:17 p.m.

Washington Capitals forward Riley Barber, a native of Washington, Pa., told NBC Sports that he’s eager to test the waters once he hits unrestricted free agency on July 1.

Riley Barber, a native of Washington, Pa., who was one of the top scorers in the AHL this season, sounds like he’s ready to move on from the Washington Capitals organization.

Barber, 25, told NBC Sports Washington that he’s eager to test the waters once he hits unrestricted free agency on July 1.

“I’ve been here for a long time and kind of know what Washington feels about me,” Barber said. “So it’ll be nice to see what other teams feel about me especially with the year I had and see how it shakes out in July.”

A 6-foot, 198-pound right wing who played three seasons at Miami (Ohio), Barber was Washington’s sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft.

He was called up for three games during his second pro season in 2016-17 but hasn’t played in the NHL since. He’s coming off a breakthrough season for the Hershey Bears, putting up 31 goals and 60 points in 64 games.