Since the news broke that Tyson Barrie was given permission to seek a trade, the Nashville Predators defenseman started generating buzz on social media. Specifically, fans in Edmonton were asking if the Edmonton Oilers should consider bringing Barrie back. He was a great fit when the team was winning games like crazy, and he’d likely welcome a move back to a place he never wanted to leave.
For example, former TSN 1260 host Paul Almeida asked, “Would you want Barrie on the #Oilers if the #Preds retained 50%?” He added, “Money would still need to go the other way.” Almeida goes on to say that Evan Bouchard has claimed the power play point man spot so it would be redundant to have two players there who could do the same job. He adds, “Not sure you can have both in your D core at this point. Oilers need a defense first D man.”
Almeida is right. The Oilers don’t need another power play quarterback. Bouchard has 22 points in 22 games, 12 of which have come while on the man advantage. There may be some knocks about his defensive play, but as far as offense goes, he’s nearly, if not elite.
What the Oilers need is defense-first blueliners. Shutdown guys are a priority in Edmonton where the team has improved, but started the season allowing far too many goals by the opposition. Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse are the closest thing they have to players who can regularly break up a cycle. Vincent Desharnais is coming along, but there’s work to do there. If the Oilers are going to spend money, shoring up their goaltending is priority No. 1. A solid stay-at-home defenseman would be No. 2.
Barrie’s Money Doesn’t Work for the Oilers Anyway
Considering he’s a $4.5 million defenseman, trying to fit his contract in would be tricky. It’s not like Nashville is going to take Jack Campbell in a deal. They also will be hesitant to retain salary considering they already retain in Ekholm and Ryan Johnansen ($4 million). They can take a third player, but if the Preds become sellers at the deadline, retaining on Barrie limits their ability to retain on anyone else.
The biggest issue is the Oilers allocating that money for a player they like, but don’t really need. There are other matters more pressing and the team is already tight to the cap. Spending the precious amount of limited space they have left on Barrie seems like something not worth pursuing.
More must-reads: