3 Possible Destinations for Toronto Maple Leafs UFA Tyson Barrie
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 09: Toronto Maple Leafs Defenceman Tyson Barrie (94) . (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Tyson Barrie experiment with the Toronto Maple Leafs did not go according to plan. Where will the UFA Defenseman end up on October 9th?
Tyson Barrie was brought over to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1st of last year in a package deal with Colorado that saw the Avs sending Barrie, centre Alex Kerfoot, and a 6th round pick in this years draft (2020) to the Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen, and a 3rd round pick in the upcoming 2020 draft.
Over the course of the season, Barrie started off strong with 4 points in his first three games with the club highlighted by a highlight reel assist in game one, but then struggled under Mike Babcock with only registering 1 point over the course of his next 18 games.
After the firing of Mike Babcock, Barrie started to flourish, scoring 5 points over a three-game span including his first goal as a Leaf. He would then continue to finish off the season with a healthy 39 points in 70 games. Although being his second-lowest PPG average (0.55) since the 2013-13 season, it still sits pretty respectable for the defenseman.
Under Keefe he was one of the highest scoring defensemen in the league, posted positive stats and played a role on one of the NHL’s top power-plays.
Barrie logged a 21:53 ATOI and provided a lot of offensive strength for the Leafs but his defensive ability was exposed more and more as the season went on, leading into the play in against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The biggest blunder being in overtime of game 3 where Barrie went fishing in no-mans land and came up dry.
Where Will Barries Cap Hit Come in at?
Barrie’s Cap Hit for the 2019-20 season sat at $5.5 million. Set to become a UFA on October 9th, the 29-year-old’s offensive ability on the blue line will be sought after greatly, and for great money too. A strong right-hand shot on D who can log 20+ minutes a night is a commodity these days in the NHL so teams will be sure to throw some money at him. Despite a flat cap for the next few years, Barrie can probably expect a couple offers at or around the $6 million range.
Barrie is not the only option on D in free agency this year, other notable UFA defenseman this year look to be Alex Pietrangelo, Torey Krug, Chris Tanev, and T.J. Brodie.
It’s no secret that Leafs will likely elect not to resign Barrie, so now we look to where the blueliner may end up for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Boston Bruins
2019-20 Record: 44-14-12 – 1st in NHL Regular Season
GF/G: 3.2 (T-8th)
GA/G: 2.4 (1st)
Season Result: Second Round Exit to TBL
With the expected departure of blueliner Torey Krug, as well as the ageing presence of Captain Zdeno Chara, the Bruins and GM Don Sweeney are sure to look to other options for their back end. Tyson Barrie being one of those options.
Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Jake DeBrusk are among those in search of new deals this offseason.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 14, 2020
📰 A complete look at the #NHLBruins free agent class: https://t.co/B1kBP6QRAG
If the Bruins elect not to resign Krug, Barrie could slide right into the spot that Krug leaves (despite playing on the right side) and at a much lower cap hit. Krug averaged a 20:29 ATOI while recording 49 points in 61 games for a 0.80 PPG average. Barrie (in an off-year) held a sub-par 0.55 PPG and logged above Krugs 20:29 TOI. Barrie’s point totals could easily go back up next year as well as he could fill in for the ice time that Krug leaves behind (all stats hockey-reference.com).
Another similarity between the two is that their CF% at even strength was within 1.8% of each other. Both defensemen, play similar types of games, being strong in the offensive zone but not quite as strong in the D-zone.
With Krug expected to come out of free agency somewhere between the $7 and $8 million range, Barrie could come in at a subsequently lower cap hit and serve as a healthy replacement for the Bruins blueline.
Vancouver Canucks
2019-20 Record: 36-27-6 – 17th in NHL Regular Season
GF/G: 3.2(T-8th)
GA/G: 3.1 (T-16th)
Season Result: Second Round Exit to Vegas Golden Knights
Like a number of free agents, it is no secret that Barrie will consider going home this offseason to Vancouver. Barrie was born and raised in Victoria, just a 4-hour ferry ride away. It is often a player’s dream that when they grow they get to play for their hometown team and lift the Stanley Cup. It is a dream that Toronto Maple Leafs Captian, John Tavares pursued when signing with the club in 2018.
Like the Bruins, the Canucks are set to have a member of their blueline depart on October 9th in Chris Tanev. As much as the Canucks would like to keep Tanev, there will be other teams offering him contracts at higher dollar values than what the Canucks would offer.
Tanev, also a right-hand shot tallied 20 points for Vancouver while averaging 19:32 TOI. Barrie could make for those and then some, ideally bolstering the Canucks blueline.
Quinn Hughes, who just finished the season 2nd in Calder Trophy voting recorded 53 points in 68 games this season. Hughes and Barrie on the same team could serve as an awful strong threat from the backend.
It has been rumoured that Canucks GM Jim Benning has attempted to acquire Barrie via trade on multiple occasions but to no avail. Perhaps October 9th could be the day Benning finally receives what he’s wanted for so long.
The Canucks with top UFA’s Tanev and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, are set to have $14.29 million in cap space this offseason. Tanev and Barrie will likely be coming in at similar price points, possibly within $1 million of each other, and if the Canucks elect not to resign Tanev, Barrie would serve as a quality replacement.
2019-20 Record: 36-27-7 – 19th in NHL Regular Season
GF/G: 2.9 (T-19th)
GA/G: 3.1 (T-16th)
Season Result: First Round Exit to Dallas Stars
The Calgary Flames are set to be letting go of RHD T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic. Because of the cap space freed up from these players, they are a team that is looking to be in contention for #1 UFA Alex Pietrangelo as well as G Jacob Markstrom. If they do not win the Pietrangelo sweepstakes Tyson Barrie could come in at a lower cap hit than Pietrangelo and serve on the Flames blueline as a top-4 guy.
The #Flames have been linked to another high profile name: Alex Pietrangelo. But is it realistic. The Opener discussed. https://t.co/EgnxKG8ooS
— Sportsnet 960 (@Sportsnet960) September 23, 2020
The Flames did not have a player that was point per game this year, in fact, their leading scorer was Matt Tkachuk with 61 points in 69 games. The only defenseman on the Flames who was north of 22 points was Captain Mark Giordano with 31. Those numbers in addition to the Flames sitting at 19th in GF/G with 2.9 make it evidently clear that the Flames need some help scoring.
The Flames are also going to need someone to eat up the minutes that Brodie and Hamonic are going to leave behind. Both D are right-handed and logged around 21:00 minutes of ice team per game. With Toronto, Barrie logged just under 22:00.
Barrie, also being right-handed with the ability to play those hard minutes, could serve as an equal addition to the back end while also upping the scoring for the club. Watch out for the Flames to keep Barrie on their radar if Pietrangelo doesn’t see them as a fit.
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It will be interesting to see where Barrie lands if, as assumed, he does not return to the Toronto Maple Leafs.