Former Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Struggling for Work
We are now midway through August and while players are starting to prepare for their arrivals for September training camps, there are plenty of ex Toronto Maple Leafs that are still without a contract for the upcoming season.
Leading the way of players to previously wear the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey is defenseman Tyson Barrie. The 5'11" offensive defenseman joined the organization during the 2019-20 NHL season after the infamous Nazem Kadri trade. The deal would later be analyzed by many fans as the worst trade in the Kyle Dubas deal as the team sent Kadri along with a third round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for Barrie and Alex Kerfoot.
Barrie came into the dressing room known as a powerplay wizard after collecting three 50+ point seasons, including coming off a 59-point campaign the season leading into the trade. Unfortunately defensive miscues throughout the season made him a whipping boy for a large portion of the fans. He would leave in free agency and sign a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers which resulted in him bouncing back with 48-points in the COVID shortened 56 game season. He proved he was still a top level powerplay quarterback as he registered nearly half his points with the man advantage.
Tyson Barrie Appeared to Return to Form in Edmonton
His return to form showed that he was still a wise investment and he earned a three-year deal during that next off-season to return to Alberta's capital that carried a cap hit of $4.5 Million. In his second season with the Oilers and the first of his new contract, Barrie's numbers regressed slightly as he dropped to 41-point season and saw the lowest ice-time of his career since his sophomore season.
Despite posting respectful numbers, the Oilers were looking for a more top end all around defenseman and to get that player they needed to shed salary which resulted in the team including Barrie in a trade with the Nashville Predators that sent him, along with a top prospect and a first round pick for Mattias Ekholm. While Barrie thought he was going to play with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid for a few years, he was traded half way through his three year contract.
This past season, Barrie struggled which was partially due to some injuries, but also a drop in his play and management was looking to move on from him and even gave him permission to seek out a trade but nothing amounted. Once the Christmas break concluded, he had a tough time getting into the line-up dressing for only 11 games down once the calendar turned to 2024 and then just one more in the playoffs.
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With camps opening just around the corner, Barrie will likely need to seek out a PTO if he hopes to catch on with a team this upcoming season.