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Tyson Barrie

Latest On Tyson Barrie

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With the Toronto Maple Leafs floundering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and on a six-game losing streak, chatter has started building around some of their pending unrestricted free agents. Tyson Barrie in particular has looked like a fish out of water in Toronto after an offseason trade brought him to the Maple Leafs, and with his relatively low cap hit—the Colorado Avalanche retained salary in the deal so Barrie costs just $2.75MM this season—he has drawn interest from around the league.

Still, Toronto doesn’t seem eager to make a move. Speaking with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com this week, Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas preached patience when it comes to evaluating players:

I think the reality is, especially when you have a player with a long proven track record, I think you can make some major mistakes by being hasty and not trying to dig in to what you’re seeing on video, what you’re seeing in games, what you’re seeing via data or finding out from the player how they feel. You’ve got to dig into those aspects to try to find a solution to get that player to play to their potential.

Barrie, 28, still hasn’t scored a single goal this season after recording double-digit totals in five of the last six years. The fact that he has just seven assists is incredibly troubling as well, given he is coming off a 59-point campaign with Colorado last season. Some of that is not running the first powerplay in Toronto (a spot that Morgan Rielly holds), but there has been an obvious mismatch in system and style for Barrie in Toronto.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet included a note on Barrie in his recent 31 Thoughts column, writing that there is “definitely an understanding from all parties that this isn’t working so far.” Not only does the veteran defenseman have to worry about the Maple Leafs turning things around, but his value on the open market is also dropping daily.

Barrie was set to be one of the most sought-after defensemen in free agency, but with a contract season like this it’s unclear where his market will end up.

Maple Leafs Receiving Trade Interest In Tyson Barrie

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The transition from Colorado to Toronto has not been a particularly good one so far for defenseman Tyson Barrie.  As a result, teams have been calling to see if the Maple Leafs would be willing to move him, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link).  However, it doesn’t appear as if GM Kyle Dubas is willing to move him just yet.

Barrie was acquired from the Avalanche back in July along with center Alexander Kerfoot in exchange for center Nazem Kadri and defenseman Calle Rosen.  He has been a very productive offensive weapon from the back end and has recorded at least 49 points in four of the last five years.  That hasn’t carried over to his new team though as through 22 games this season, the 28-year-old has yet to score and has just six assists.

Barrie is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and this slow start certainly can’t be helping his market value.  Friedman notes that while the defender hasn’t asked for a trade, there is a recognition that this can’t continue.  With that in mind, it’s certainly possible that Toronto’s current hesitancy could change if things don’t pick up over the next little while.

With the Avs holding back half of Barrie’s $5.5MM AAV, there should be plenty of teams with interest and that have the ability to take on a pro-rated $2.75MM cap charge.  That said, given Toronto’s inability to take on extra salary given their cap situation, it puts them in a bit of a bind.  They’re a team that’s built to try to win now but there aren’t going to be many impact players available that could be a plausible return for someone like Barrie at that low price tag which could limit their options.

It’s reasonable to suggest that no one saw this type of offensive drop off coming from Barrie.  For now, the Maple Leafs are content to let him try and turn things around but if his struggles continue, he could certainly be a very interesting name to keep tabs on closer to the trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Barrie, Brassard, Trocheck

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Tyson Barrie tallied 28 goals and 116 points over the previous two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and the general belief was that after the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired him in an offseason trade last summer, Barrie would continue that offensive success in Toronto. So far that’s not been the case as the 28-year-old blueliner has struggled to find his footing.

In fact, TSN’s Mark Masters writes that Barrie doesn’t look like the aggressive blueliner who dominated in Colorado. While he has five assists this season for the Maple Leafs, he only has one assist over his last 14 games.

“It’s different switching teams,” said Barrie, “and switching teams and coaches and the whole thing so you’re just trying to feel it out a little bit and I’m still feeling some teammates out and trying to get some chemistry going and its tough. I wish I had the answers for it.”

One significant difference is that in Colorado, he quarterbacked the power play, while in Colorado, Barrie has averages just 2:09 of power play for the game.

“We feel he’s gotten better & better. We really feel our pairs are starting to come, all three of them,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “Pairs take longer than lines, just because you’ve got to know the nuances of one another …. he’s going in the right direction, just like our team.”

  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that with the return of winger Jordan Eberle to the first line, New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz opted not to return fill-in Derick Brassard back to centering the third line, where the veteran struggled at before Eberle’s injury. Instead, Trotz had Brassard join Brock Nelson as the team’s second-line winger in hopes of generating more offense from Brassard, who thrived on the wing. Brassard had a career-high five-game goal streak on Thursday, which was five games he was on the first line.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was eased into the lineup Saturday in Florida’s game against the New York Islanders. Trocheck, who suffered a lower-body injury when blocking a shot against Nashville on Oct. 19, returned to the team’s second line, but played just 15:35. Head coach Joel Quenneville said he was trying to save him for Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers.

Central Notes: Girard, Dach, Honka, Robertson

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The seven-year, $35MM contract that Samuel Girard signed with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week as a sign that the team has found an heir apparent for recently traded Tyson Barrie. While the team has a ton of talent in Cale Makar, as well as the 2019 fourth-overall pick in Bowen Byram, the Avalanche believe they have a top-four defenseman in their 21-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that he believes that general manager Joe Sakic believes strongly that the 162-pound Girard is ready for a full-time role this season as their top defender, which is a big task to take on. Barrie averaged 24:11 in the playoffs last year, while Girard averaged almost five minutes below that. However, the team believes he will take his game up a notch and make his seven-year deal a steal of a signing in the future.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago writes in a mailbag column that he wonders whether the Chicago Blackhawks will seriously consider keeping 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach on the roster entering the season. Last year, the top four draft picks in the 2018 draft made their respective teams in the NHL, and Chicago does have an opening for a third-line center which could be a perfect match. Of course, much of that decision will come down to how Dach performs at training camp as well as how many minutes he might play as Dach is used to being a top-minutes player on his junior team.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars may have trouble moving defenseman Julius Honka, who the team was expected to move this offseason. Shapiro believes the team is hoping to get a fourth-round pick for the 2014 first-rounder who has fallen out of favor in Dallas, but he writes that many teams believe that they can just get the blue liner off of waivers at the start of the season as its highly unlikely that Dallas will keep Honka on their roster.
  • Sticking with the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes in a mailbag column that he believes that while Jason Robertson could be an excellent addition to the Dallas Stars team, he doubts that Robertson will play more than a handful of games with the Stars next season. The 20-year-old is turning pro this season after Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft and saw him net 48 goals and 117 points in 62 games in the OHL last season. Franks writes that Robertson will spend most of next season in the AHL with the Texas Stars as he learns to adjust to the pro game.

Poll: Is Tyson Barrie A Significant Upgrade Over Jake Gardiner?

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While most people look at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ acquisition of Tyson Barrie as a major plus when the team picked up the lead defenseman and Alex Kerfoot for Nazem Kadri and Calle Rosen on July 1, there are other analytics experts who suggest that the addition of Barrie isn’t much, if any improvements over Jake Gardiner, who the team has allowed to walk away in free agency.

Of course, Barrie looks like an impressive upgrade, especially when you look at his offensive numbers. Barrie scored 14 goals and 59 points last season and posted 57 points the previous year, giving Toronto another top-notch offensive defenseman next to Morgan Rielly. Gardiner was a second-pairing defenseman whose offense disappeared last year with 30 points, even though he posted 52 points the previous season. However, only one player, Barrie or Rielly, can get those first-line power play minutes and there is no guarantee that Barrie will be able to pry those minutes away from Rielly next season, suggesting that Barrie’s number’s could drop quite a bit. In fact, two goals and 23 assists came off the power play last season where Barrie was the team’s quarterback of the first power play unit.

However, analytics suggest that Gardiner, despite his struggles might prove to be a better blueliner, especially defensively. While Toronto is an offensive juggernaut, Gardiner still had a plus-19 rating in plus-minus, while there are some questions about how good a defender Barrie is. In Colorado, Barrie posted a minus-3 on an Avalanche squad that made the playoffs last season and a minus-19 the previous year, when they were a playoff team as well. While plus-minus might be considered to be an unreliable fact, Gardiner has been solid for Toronto despite the fact receiving Toronto fans wrath for years. He has averaged over 21:48 of ATOI over the past three years and in those three years ranks 23rd in the league in points with 125. In goals above replacement (GAR), which is an all-encompassing stat to evaluate skaters, Gardiner ranked 17th among defenseman last year and fifth in the league at even strength, according to evolving-hockey.com. Barrie ranked 50th last season and 66th at even strength.

However, Gardiner’s value seems to have dropped. Despite being considered one of the top defensive free agents on the unrestricted free agent market, Gardiner remains unsigned with rumors he’s seeking $7MM per season. While a change in scenery might have been needed for Gardiner, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Barrie will be the better player.

So, is Barrie a significant upgrade over Gardiner?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Toronto’s Barrie Expected To Demand $8MM Next Year

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Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of obstacles still to deal with this offseason still, including working out a contract with restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the team may have even more problems approaching them a year from now.

While the Maple Leafs forwards should be in good shape next season as the team will have few to no free agents to worry about, the newly reconstructed defense will be an entirely different story as only one of their defenseman, Morgan Rielly, is signed beyond the 2019-20 season. The team has five unrestricted free agents blueliners and another two restricted free agents defenders, which could create quite a bit of unrest next summer.

However, to make matters worse, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that newly acquired Tyson Barrie is expecting to cash in on his next contract next summer and could be looking to demand an eight-year deal at $8MM per season next year. The 27-year-old has been incredibly consistent over the last few years, putting up 14 goals and a career-high 59 points last season and has averaged 49 points over the past six seasons. He is finishing up a four-year, $22MM contract at $5.5MM, but because Colorado retained half his salary, the team is only on the hook for a $2.75MM AAV this season. However, an $8MM contract could force the Maple Leafs to allow the blueliner to walk away for nothing.

The team will likely have to make some tough decisions as Jake Muzzin and Cody Ceci will also be unrestricted free agents. Much of those decisions will likely depend on how well they play next season and how their salaries can fit into their tight salary cap situation. The team has a few other lesser free agents, including Justin Holl and Martin Marincin, but they also may have to give significant raises to restricted free agents Travis Dermott and Ben Harpur. The team will get a small break next season when the contract of Nathan Horton and his $5.3MM finally expires, which should help, but that isn’t likely to solve all those problems either. There will be little money available to help the team out without more cost-cutting moves.

Morning Notes: Dzingel, Hall, Kadri

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Ryan Dzingel is arguably the top remaining unrestricted free agent, ranked No. 12 overall by PHR and the leading scorer this past season among all available names. Yet, there’s been surprisingly little noise surrounding Dzingel, a 27-year-old coming off of a career high’s across the board. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that some teams are skeptical about Dzingel’s potential for production, not based on his year overall but rather his late-season stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After being moved at the NHL Trade Deadline by the Ottawa Senators, Dzingel recorded just 12 points in 21 games with Columbus and eventually lost the trust of the coaching staff in the postseason, with one point in nine games earning him a healthy scratch. Brooks remarks that the Blue Jackets’ lack of interest in retaining Dzingel, a former star at nearby Ohio State University, is one of several “red flags” for the young winger this off-season.

It’s likely that price is playing a role in Dzingel’s market as well. After a 56-point campaign, Dzingel’s camp was though to be seeking a $5MM AAV over a long-term contract. In a vacuum, that would seem to be a fair offer, but in a market where many teams are closer to the salary cap limit than expected, a player who is coming off a disappointing final few months of the season may need to lower his expectations. That rings especially true if he wants to land with one of his reported top destinations and a team known to have interest, the Chicago Blackhawks. Dzingel is an Illinois native and his skill set would seem to fit in perfectly with his hometown Blackhawks, who could still use another top-six winger. However, The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope writes that the team would have to move out a player, likely Artem Anisimov or Connor Murphy, to accommodate Dzingel’s salary demands. Until that happens, Pope cites GM Stan Bowman, who recently said his roster is “pretty full” and currently only in need of “housekeeping”. That doesn’t mean that Chicago, whose off-season moves have pointed toward a deep desire to return to contender status, will not continue to pursue Dzingel, but it may prove too difficult at his current asking price. If the scoring winger wants to ensure he has a long-term fit in a place that he’d like to be, Dzingel could consider taking a lesser deal to join the Blackhawks.

  • Another team looking to return to the playoffs are the New Jersey Devils and GM Ray Shero and company have certainly done their part in that pursuit this summer, drafting Jack Hughes, trading for P.K. Subban, and signing Wayne Simmonds. While the ultimate goal is to become a contender as soon as possible, the more pressing need – also with that goal in mind – is to convince superstar forward Taylor Hall that New Jersey is a team worth staying with to win a Stanley Cup. Hall is an impending free agent next summer and could be in line for a record-breaking contract, whether he tests the open market or not. The Devils have the cap space to meet his salary demands, but needed to focus this off-season on improving the talent around him after a season in which the team finished well outside the playoff picture. On paper, New Jersey should return to relevance next season and early indications are that Hall is happy with the transformation. In an interview with TSN, the 2018 Hart Trophy winner said that seeing the summer used to improve the talent level of the team and inject new blood after a disappointing campaign is exactly what you want to see. He added that Shero asked his opinion of the Subban trade before it was made and that he was totally on board and excited to play with his fellow star. All signs point to Hall being in favor of these off-season changes and eager to get started with the new season. If the Devils perform to the level they should on paper, Hall will have much more reason to consider a long-term extension to stay in New Jersey.
  • New Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri could have gone elsewhere if he wanted. The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons reports that Kadri flexed his No-Trade Clause to block a trade to the Calgary Flames. Even after taking calls from Flames GM Brad Treliving and head coach Bill Peters, Kadri nixed a deal that would have seen he and Connor Brown, now an Ottawa Senator, go to Calgary in exchange for T.J. Brodie and Mark Jankowski. Simmons did not explain why Kadri was anti-Calgary, but did note that the fit in Colorado is better. As for the end result for the Leafs, Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot are a better package, but cost the the team young defenseman Calle Rosen, who Simmons states they did not wish to move, as well as a third-round pick. Also, Brodie would have been a more affordable defenseman to re-sign compare to Barrie, who could very well price himself out of Toronto after one year. It’s a toss up on which deal would have been better had Kadri not put his foot down.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Tyson Barrie

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot and a 2020 sixth-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen and a 2020 third-round selection. The Avalanche will also be retaining 50% of Barrie’s contract, which results in the Maple Leafs only being responsible for a $2.75MM cap hit for the offensive defenseman.

For some time now the Maple Leafs have been looking for an upgrade on the right side of their blue line, and will get it in Barrie who is coming off another incredible offensive season. The 27-year old had 14 goals and 59 points for the Avalanche and has been one of the league’s top puck-movers since entering the league back in 2011-12. Through 484 career games, Barrie has 307 points and could form a solid one-two punch with Morgan Rielly who is also coming off a career-best 72-point season. The team now projects to have a brand new right side with Barrie joining Cody Ceci who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators earlier today.

The Leafs have actually cleared even more cap space with this deal for the time being, as Kadri had three years left on his contract and carried a $4.5MM hit. That may change quickly however as Kerfoot is a restricted free agent coming off consecutive 40+ point seasons after signing out of Harvard University. The 24-year old decided not to join the New Jersey Devils who originally drafted him and instead went to Colorado where he has enjoyed a healthy opportunity playing both center and wing. Kerfoot has recorded 31 of his 85 career points on the powerplay, but may not get quite the same chance to touch the puck in Toronto with the man advantage given their glut of talented forwards.

For Colorado, this deal is all about securing a legitimate second-line center to play behind Nathan MacKinnon. Though Kadri was limited to just 16 goals and 44 points last season with the Maple Leafs that was more about opportunity and usage than talent. The seventh-overall pick from 2009 had consecutive 32-goal seasons prior to Toronto’s signing of John Tavares which bumped him down in the lineup, and he should get close to that again if given the chance in Colorado. The fact that he is cost-controlled for three more seasons at a more than reasonable $4.5MM makes him an extremely valuable piece for the Avalanche who have added a fair amount of scoring prowess in the last few days.

The biggest reason Barrie was even available is the way the Avalanche have built out their blue line, with names like Cale Makar, Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins all looking like they will be real contributors next season. The Maple Leafs meanwhile will hope that they can maintain some level of depth down the middle with the signings they made today, adding Jason Spezza and Nick Shore to the mix. William Nylander and Kerfoot also have experience at center, while Auston Matthews and John Tavares will obviously dominate the playing time and matchups.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Barrie, Subban, Penguins

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For all the anticipation that the NHL Entry Draft creates, fans were left somewhat disappointed last night when not a single player was traded. All the viewers got from the floor in Vancouver was the Arizona Coyotes moving up three spots and the Philadelphia Flyers adding a second-round pick. The kind of movement that had been hinted at all day never materialized, perhaps thanks to the still-not-finalized cap ceiling. The league is expected to release the final number today, hopefully kicking the market into gear.

Nevertheless, here are some notes from last night’s show:

  • The player most rumored to be on the move yesterday may have been Tyson Barrie, who was linked several times to the Vancouver Canucks. The offensive defenseman’s name came up even more when the Colorado Avalanche selected Bowen Byram fourth overall, but GM Joe Sakic wants everyone to calm down. Sakic told A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver that there is no truth to the idea that Barrie is already traded, and Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now that the rumors are “news to him.” Even with the apparent denials, Barrie’s name will continue to float around in trade speculation until he has a new deal with the Avalanche or is moved. The 27-year old is entering the final year of his current contract and carries a $5.5MM cap hit.
  • Another defenseman drawing plenty of speculation is Nashville Predators star P.K. Subban who is apparently on the market as the team tries to clear cap space. Subban has three years remaining at a huge $9MM cap hit, but Darren Dreger of TSN suggested that the Predators may be willing to retain up to $3MM of that. If that’s true, there will likely be teams lined up to take on the Norris-winning defenseman.
  • After a disappointing season from the Pittsburgh Penguins and some frustrated comments from GM Jim Rutherford, some expected the team to make a huge move and send one of their superstar talents packing this summer. While the team did try to move Phil Kessel to the Minnesota Wild, they won’t be dangling Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang. Rutherford spoke to Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and told him it’s “highly unlikely” that either one is moved and that there was never an intention to have a ton of roster turnover in Pittsburgh.

Latest On Tyson Barrie

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It seemed relatively surprising when a report surfaced that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie was “in play” this weekend, but his name has now popped up in a couple of other locations as well. Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted last night that “Barrie trade consideration seems to have amplified” and listed Carl Soderberg as another player whose name had come up. Dreger was then on WGR550 in Buffalo this morning and connected both the Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes to the defenseman. Then, Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now tweeted that he’d heard “chatter” about the Canucks offering Jake Virtanen and a 2020 first-round pick for Barrie, though obviously nothing has been confirmed yet.

Barrie, 27, is coming off an outstanding offensive season with the Avalanche in which he recorded 59 points in 78 games, but has just a single year left on his current contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Add that to the potential emergence of Cale Makar on the right side and the powerplay for the Avalanche and the team seems to be at least listening on their top defenseman.

Still, this chatter doesn’t mean that the team is set on moving Barrie. He is after all an extremely important part of the team and GM Joe Sakic has fought strongly in favor of him in the past. Barrie signed a four-year, $22MM deal with the Avalanche in 2016 and carries a $5.5MM cap hit for this season.

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