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A Profile of Every New Toronto Maple Leafs Player Part 2 – Defense

By Jarrett Noakes

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 12: Toronto Maple Leafs logo pictured at centre ice at the Scotiabank Arena on January 12, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 12: Toronto Maple Leafs logo pictured at centre ice at the Scotiabank Arena on January 12, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 08: Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche skates with control of the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the third period in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on May 8, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 08: Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche skates with control of the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the third period in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on May 8, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Tyson Barrie

Acquired from the Colorado Avalanche via trade

Age: 27

Shoots: Right

Tyson Barrie is best characterized as an offensive facilitator. He has fantastic instincts for a defenseman in joining the play up ice and uses his great vision to move the puck quickly out of the zone with the intent of creating offense.

His style of play fits very well with the offensively gifted Toronto Maple Leafs, which he addressed after the trade by saying, “If I can get these guys in scoring positions and jump up and follow the play and try to create some offence, that’s my game.”

Barrie’s closest comparable in the NHL may be his new teammate Morgan Rielly.

Barrie and Rielly are both smooth skating, offensive defensemen who excel on the power-play and have scored 65 points/82 games and 64 points/82 games respectively over the past two seasons.

The key difference between Rielly and Barrie is that Barrie shoots right-handed, something coach Mike Babcock has coveted in a top-pair defenseman for years.

For all the positive things there are to say about Barrie’s game and his fit with the Leafs, he does have some defensive shortcomings.

Barrie ranks as a below average defender at breakups/60 and percentage of allowed entries into the defensive zone and is trending downwards in those categories over the past few seasons.

He is also rarely physical in the defensive zone. Much like Rielly, Barrie’s best defense will be his ability to push the puck up ice and minimize defensive zone time.

Barrie will play in the top-four with the Leafs and should serve as a very strong power-play quarterback.

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