Seeing that Barbashev re-signed for two years at a $1.475 cap hit. I'm not sure what he was holding out for if he was willing to accept less than Zach Sanford. I thought for sure he'd get closer to 2.5 mil per.
He didn't have arbitration rights, or else he probably would have gotten that much. He wanted 4 years (rumors-I assume for financial security against injury). I think this works for both the team and player. If he scores 20-25 goals in the next couple of years (total, so 10-12 per year), he'll get a Sundqvist type deal. If he tanks, its not enough cap space to keep the team from competing. I think he'll continue to be a solid player and will enjoy a nice pay bump in a couple of years. (and by then, Steen and Bozak will be off the books.)