On Tuesday, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron addressed media questions after signing a two-year contract worth $2.3 million.

Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.

Q: When it comes to preparing for this year’s camp it’s a very big training camp for you. What’s your mindset going into this year and how has it changed from years prior?

I think for this year it’s been focusing on having a good summer and coming in and just kind of establishing my spot as a full-time NHL player. I’m coming in to start a camp with the mindset to make the team and be in the starting lineup. I think that’s been the goal the last two years as well but I feel like I’ve, especially last year in the first half, I feel like I played some really good hockey up with the Canadians and finished the year with some other couple of good games. I think the first big step for me this year is to establish myself as a full-time NHL player.

Q: Where do you see yourself in the organization or in the defense specifically because, as you said, you have struggled to establish yourself as a full-time NHLer, but what do you want to show them actually to prove that you’re a full-time NHLer?

I feel like if I can really bear down and take a big step in that this year and having more trust from the coaching staff and just being harder to play against and better details in my defensive game, I think that will help my game a lot. I think that’s an area where I struggled a little bit, especially with consistency throughout the last two years. At the same time, I want to keep showing my offensive game and hopefully take the next step in that part of my game as well.

Q: Can you be more specific when you talk about the details in your defensive game that you want to improve?

Being harder to play against. I don’t think that’s necessarily all the time physicality, but I think it’s taking away guys’ time and space in the corners. It’s having a tighter gap off the rush. It’s being a little bit harder in front of the net. So, yeah, I think the last two years with all the coaching staff, and Montreal and Laval, we’ve really focused on getting better at those things. It’s been a lot of stickwork details, a lot of footwork stuff. Yeah, I’ve just been continuing to work on that and try to translate that into my game.

Q: How do you foresee the competition at your position?

Yeah, I mean, we have a ton of young guys, and the future certainly looks bright. It’s just going to be a healthy competition. They’re all great guys, I’m looking forward to getting into camp and competing against them. I think with that being said, I feel confident in my game and my ability and trying to come out of that camp with a spot on the roster.

Q: How do you see the next few years with the place of the young defensemen in the team?

Like I said before, I think the future is bright. I think we’ve got a ton of really good players on the back end, some young guys, and it seems like we’ve got a good mix of guys that can play really well defensively, some offensive guys and stuff too. And yeah, I think that’s another reason why this is a big year for me and, you know, coming into camp and trying to establish myself as a full-time player. And, my goal is to be out playing top four or top pair minutes, hopefully sometime soon in the future. And, yeah, that’s kind of the goal and mindset for me. And I want to start taking that step this year.

Q: Do you think you can learn this year from veteran defensemen like David Savard or Mike Matheson?

100 percent. I mean, they’ve already been a huge help, you know, from the first day I came to Montreal… Matheson is obviously an unbelievable skater, super smart. You know, Savard’s a little bit slower, but he does so many things so well in the D zone and, finds ways to be efficient. And he’s so good at blocking shots on the PK… Matheson has that kind of offensive side to his game too. So it’s been a huge help from them, you know, helping me learn.

Q: As an athlete, how much has it helped that the deal is done? You can just focus on training camp and trying to make a roster spot.

Yeah, I think it’s definitely a bit of relief. Exciting too, just to kind of get it over with. And, yeah, just really excited about it. Now it’s, keep training hard and get ready for camp. I’m really excited to be back in Montreal in September.