Halifax, Nova Scotia product Morgan Barron was acquired in a deal that sent longtime Jets forward Andrew Copp to the New York Rangers this past season. Barron, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward brings a little bit of everything to the dinner table.
A physical forward, he uses his size and strength to get the puck into the offensive zone and becomes a nuisance in front of the net. His big rig mentality has been on display in recent years in the American Hockey League, where Barron found success with the Rangers’ affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Last season, he recorded 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 21 games.
His offensive toolkit is a work in progress but given his development and determination to succeed at every level he has played at in his career so far, pencilling him in for 10-to-15 goals per season in the future isn’t out of the picture.
In New York, Barron primarily played bottom-six minutes, recording just one assist across 13 games. However, a change of scenery was due and he found success with the Jets after coming over via trade. The 23-year-old registered four points (two goals, two assists) in 14 games.
Barron played on a couple of different lines with the Jets but was primarily situated with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton. Through 31:58 minutes of ice-time together, their line posted a 49.35 per cent Corsi For Percentage. Altogether, Barron posted a 0.939 PDO, a 49.4 per cent CF Percentage, a 53.06 per cent Fenwick For Percentage and a 52.73 per cent Expected Goals For Percentage at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
While those are grinder-type numbers, Barron is a player that could mesh well with the likes of Appleton, Lowry, Paul Stastny and others coming through the pipeline, as well.
2022-23 Outlook
Former Jets interim coach Dave Lowry was a big fan of Barron and was impressed after his NHL debut, saying “He was great. We liked his game. A big body got inside, kept his feet moving, created some offence, and they moved the puck well.
“Sometimes it’s just finding a spot for a guy. And sometimes, it’s like we always say, right, the injuries provide opportunities and tonight he took advantage of it.”
Some high praise goes a long way, especially when a new coach will be walking through the Canada Life Centre next season. Barron will need to focus on making the roster out of training camp, but given his track record, that’s something that shouldn’t be an issue for him.
His style of play is an aspect that the Jets can work with, having two big bodies like him and Lowry within the bottom-six brings some much-needed identity to the team, and hopefully, the Jets recognize that is a department they need to tackle.
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