Odds of Tyson Barrie Signing With Toronto Maple Leafs Go Way Up

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Tyson Barrie last season.

In his debut season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tyson Barrie put on a master class in how people refuse to change their minds after a first impression.

Under original coach Mike Babcock, the way Tyson Barrie was used made it clear what the Babcock thought of Kyle Dubas’ management style.

Fortunately for everyone involved with the Leafs as a player or fan, the team fired Mike Babcock and never looked back.

After Babcock was fired, Barrie played great, but you’d never know it by the way he is assessed by the fans and media. 

Toronto Maple Leafs and Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie was 4th in 5v5 defenseman scoring after Keefe was hired, while quarterbacking the league’s 2nd best power-play.

He put up solid numbers across the board in a sheltered role, and as Morgan Rielly’s partner.

In fact, the success of Rielly and Barrie as a partnership is why I think the the Toronto Maple Leafs will try to bring Barrie back, and I think the Covid situation and what it has done to the league might actually make it possible.

Barrie is the best partner Morgan Rielly has ever had and the Leafs scored almost 60% of the goals when they were partnered together.

Sure, they can’t defend a lick, but if you put them in the right situation (i.e start Holl and Muzzin in all tough situations) then when they play they are able to just absolutely cave-in the opposition.

Unfortunately, Rielly’s injury didn’t allow this to happen very often, but its a pairing we will almost certainly see when and if the NHL actually finishes this season.

As for re-signing Barrie, I don’t think it was going to happen before the quarantine, but now that the NHL is almost guaranteed to have a flat salary cap, it’s likely that all free-agents to be this year are going to get much less than they had hoped.

With one quarter of the season scrapped, and one quarter of it wasted, Tyson Barrie isn’t in the best negotiating position.  Add in the fact that the UFA market will be a mess, and the clear best way for him to make the most money is to sign a one-year deal and hope the NHL’s market is better next year.

What better place to play that one year than on the NHL’s best roster, on a team where (at least the narratives says) they are desperate for a right handed blue-liner?

The Leafs could end up signing Barrie at a discount.  Barrie would play with Rielly, Holl with Muzzin (obviously) and then you’d have Dermott, Sandin, Liljegren and Lehtonen to fight for time on the bottom pairing.

Its an option worth exploring, at the very least.