The Calgary Flames have signed veteran defenceman Tyson Barrie. Barrie participated at Flames camp and has turned his professional tryout into a one-year contract at an AAV of $1.25M. The right-shot defender is 5’11” and 196 lbs.
Adding to the defensive depth
This deal has some interest to it. The Flames have lots of defencemen who are of NHL calibre or are treading on the line. That said, MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are the only two with some pedigree. The camp and preseason became a competition for those handfuls of defencemen to win a spot, including Tyson Barrie. Barrie looks to have locked in a spot on the Flames roster, as most players don’t get anything more than the league minimum off a PTO.
Barrie has been on quite a few teams throughout his NHL career. Drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, Barrie spent the next 10 years in their organization. That ended when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for current Flame, Nazem Kadri, and he spent one year with the Leafs. Then he made his way to the Flames’ biggest rival in the Edmonton Oilers, spending three years with them before being sent to Nashville in a trade that saw Mattias Ekholm become an Oiler. Barrie has spent the last year and a half with the Predators. This past year he struggled and missed half the year due to injury and being healthy scratched.
Barrie has had a good career in offensive production. He has scored 505 points in 809 career games. In 2020–21 during the bubble season, he even led all defencemen in points despite not earning a single Norris vote. Defence has never been his strong suit, but it’s doubtful the Flames will care too much about that given where they’re at.
Barrie is likely being brought in as a potential puck mover when they need one. He’s been getting reps on the power play and we will probably see him there this season. One of the more defensive guys such as Kevin Bahl or Brayden Pachal would be my best bet for Barrie’s partner. There’s also a good chance we see Barrie as trade bait throughout the year and the potential of him getting traded for a future piece.
