The Flames assigned defenseman Tyson Barrie to AHL Calgary on a conditioning loan Friday, per a club announcement. It will be the 33-year-old’s first minor-league action in over 11 years.
Despite not dealing with an injury, Barrie hasn’t suited up for the Flames since mid-November. After being scratched in a remarkable 29 straight contests, the veteran will once again get some playing time, even if at a lower level of competition.
Barrie hasn’t been a factor for Calgary after joining the organization on a tryout and landing a one-year, $1.25MM contract near the end of training camp. He was scratched for all but three games in October before getting an extended run of play in November, posting a goal and an assist with a minus-two rating in nine appearances before heading to the press box for the last two-plus months.
Whether the 5’11” righty’s NHL career continues past this season remains to be seen. Once one of the league’s better offensive defensemen with the Avalanche in the mid-2010s, he’s continuously slid down depth charts ever since Colorado traded him to the Maple Leafs in the 2019 deal that sent Nazem Kadri to Denver. His minutes have been reduced in stops with Toronto, Edmonton, Nashville, and now Calgary. Before becoming an unrestricted free agent last summer, he’d dressed in only 41 games with the Preds in the last year of a three-year, $13.5MM commitment, recording 15 points with a -10 rating.
His unimpressive possession metrics in his short stint in Calgary are evidence of how far his two-way game has lapsed. His 49.2 CF% at even strength ranks 18th on the club, and his 3.0 GA/60 is fourth-worst. He was getting second-unit power play time when in the lineup but didn’t produce anything aside from the lone assist.
Barrie will continue counting against the Flames’ cap and roster limit while on a conditioning loan. If they choose to keep him in the minors after two weeks, they’ll have to place him on waivers.
When you are being passed by on the depth chart by Joel Hanley, The writing is on the wall.