Players get traded all the time, particularly at in a sport's deadline, with the inclination that said player will go to a new team with new aspirations, new dreams of helping said team become a champion and it not panning out.
For Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, he was the exception to the rule. He went from a struggling situation with the St. Louis Blues to instant prominence, and in the end, helped the Golden Knights raise the Stanley Cup, the second of his career after helping the Blues win their first -- and his first -- in 2019.
"Yeah it's great to be honest," Barbashev said prior to his second visit back to St. Louis since he was traded to Vegas for prospect Zach Dean on Feb.25. "Since last year, a really weird year, but it just ended up in a really positive way. Things are good.
"You get traded and after struggling here with St. Louis, you go to Vegas. I knew it was a good team, but you never know how far you're going to go. This league is pretty tough to win especially after you go through the first round and then the second round, we got through it. We just had no turning back for us. We just kept pushing and it's a really good end story."
It was a great end story, and for Barbashev, who was selected by the Blues in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft, he didn't waste any time making Vegas his permanent home when he signed a five-year, $25 million contract on June 28, never hitting the free agent market.
"You know it's a good city, and I think I was trusted really well in Vegas especially last year," Barbashev said. "I played with Jack [Eichel] and [Jonathan] Marchessault on a line. It's a good line, good players. It took me a while to get used to them, but by the time we got to the playoffs, we were just clicking together. It just went really well and I enjoy that spot quite a lot."
It was an extension of the ascension for Barbashev's career when he finally had that breakout year with the Blues in 2021-22, his sixth year in the league, when the winger had 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games. He was part of the identity line the Blues used in winning the Cup with Alexander Steen and Oskar Sundqvist, the so-called fourth line that set the tone at the start of games that Blues coach Craig Berube wouldn't hesitate using.
Instead of playing in a bottom six role, Barbashev has worked his way up to playing top-line minutes in Vegas; he skated on a line with Eichel and Mark Stone when the Golden Knights were in St. Louis on Wednesday.
"What did he score, 26 goals the year before," Vegas defenseman and former Blue Alex Pietrangelo said "He hasn't scored 26 every year, but if you put these guys with better players, all of the sudden they can take off and the hockey IQ comes out and you're seeing what kind of capable player they're capable of being. I think he's fit in nicely, I think he's fit in nicely with Jack.
"... I think if you put another guy that can do the same thing beside [Eichel], it opens up space for Jack. That whole line, now you've got 'Stoney' up there, arguably the best two-way forward in the league, sometimes you put guys with the right people, hockey IQ just comes out."
It's the reason why Vegas didn't waste time pulling the trigger on the deal when they asked Pietrangelo, Barbashev's teammate in St. Louis for four seasons before being reunited in Sin City, because the Golden Knights needed that type of player and knew they'd be getting one with bite in his game and skill to go with it.
"Even when they asked me, we knew what we were getting," Pietrangelo said. "I think he's really found himself in a good spot there. Obviously he's playing with Jack for the most part; we've split them up briefly, but they're back together now and I think you're looking at a player like Jack and what do you want beside him, 'Barby' will take up a lot of ice for him, can make plays. It's been a good complement and that's the reason why he got the extension that he did."
Barbashev will always hold a special place in his heart for St. Louis for a number of reasons, but he's moved on to what he feels is a good situation for him to progress the 27-year-old's career.
"It's always nice to play here, especially since I had a lot of good memories here, just winning the Cup, my child being born here in St. Louis," Barbashev said. "This place will always have a (special place) in my heart here. It's always nice just to play in front of this crowd. It's a weird feeling to be honest to be back here, especially just being back on the other side (but) I've turned the page since last year. I just got to keep moving forward."
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