Predators veteran defenseman scratched, permitted to seek trade

The Predators originally acquired Barrie, along with prospect Reid Schaefer and two draft picks, from the Edmonton Oilers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Barrie completed the 2022–23 season with 13 goals and 55 points, including three goals and 12 points in 24 games with Nashville after the trade, but things haven’t gone according to plan early on in the final year of his current contract.

“There is word today the Nashville Predators have given Tyson Barrie permission to talk to other teams,” Friedman tweeted on Saturday. “Barrie is expected to be a scratch vs the Rangers and is a UFA after this season. This allows team and player to see if there is a better fit elsewhere.”

Barrie has played for four different NHL teams since making his debut with the Colorado Avalanche way back in the 2011–12 season. The 5-foot-11 defender spent parts of eight seasons in Colorado, surpassing the 50-point mark three times, before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.

After just one season in Toronto, Barrie joined the Oilers in 2020 and immediately established himself as the team’s top power-play quarterback. He scored more than 40 points in each of his three seasons in Edmonton before being flipped for Ekholm and replaced by young upstart Evan Bouchard on the No. 1 PP unit.

Through 790 career NHL games with the Avalanche, Maple Leafs, Oilers, and Predators, Barrie has collected 108 goals and 499 points. He’s added two goals and 20 points in 46 playoff contests.