While most of the attention on the NHL’s trade market has been on the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, it turns out the Nashville Predators should be a team to circle these next couple of weeks. The Preds have given defenseman Tyson Barrie permission to seek a trade and are looking to move on from the veteran.
Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman touched on Barrie during his recent Headlines during Hockey Night in Canada and had this to say:
Barrie, 32, is a pending unrestricted free agent who is owed $4.5 million. In 22 games this season with the Predators, Barrie has yet to score and has registered nine assists. Last season split between Nashville and the Edmonton Oilers, the right-handed blueliner finished with 55 points in 75 games.
The Predators sit with a 11-12-0 record through their first 23 games and are not expected to be a contending team for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot this season. Management continues to try and re-tool on the fly and while they managed to bring in some veterans in Luke Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly, they don’t have interest in re-signing Barrie and are open to any deal. So much so Barrie and his agent get to help negotiate with interested teams.
Recently, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli shared an interesting story on how Barrie found out he was traded from Edmonton to Nashville last season and Frank had this to say on what took place on a recent interview with our colleagues at Oilers Nation:
This time around Barrie won’t be surprised with the news and considering how much right-handed d-men are hard to come by in the NHL, there will be a number of suitors.
Don’t Expect the Maple Leafs to Double Back
Even though there’s a new GM in charge with Brad Treliving at the helm, Barrie isn’t necessarily what Treliving is looking for to add to his blue line. Barrie’s not a physical presence and has recorded just six hits so far this season. For comparison sake, that would rank dead last on the Leafs when it comes to players who have skated in at least 10 games this season.
Barrie’s time in Toronto didn’t go as planned and while he did manage to produce 39 points in 70 games, he was very inconsistent and now his style of play is something the Leafs don’t necessarily need more of. Hearing Barrie’s name can be a sore spot for some of Leafs Nation. Many fans have voiced their displeasure for getting rid of Nazem Kadri, who was of course dealt to the Colorado Avalanche for Barrie and Alex Kerfoot.
As far as potential landing spots for Barrie, there’s a couple of playoff-bound teams who need some more offense from their back end and that includes the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars.
Nonetheless, it sounds like Barrie’s days in Smashville are numbered as a trade is on the horizon. When there’s multiple people working the phones trying to construct a deal, it normally speeds up the process. Regardless of how fast Barrie’s shipped out, don’t expect to see Treliving and the Maple Leafs open to a second stint in Toronto. Let’s just be happy for Barrie that he won’t be surprised by the move this time around.
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