When the Calgary Flames signed veteran blueliner Tyson Barrie to a professional try-out contract ahead of their 2024 training camp, there was a segment of the fanbase sour on the notion of inviting him to camp – the thought was that he could block a youngster from a roster spot. That segment of the fanbase was definitely not pleased when Barrie was signed to a one year NHL deal after a pretty impressive performance at training camp.
The idea was that Barrie might not play all the time, but he could be useful to help rejuvenate a power play that had struggled during the 2023-24 season. It didn’t turn out as hoped.
Barrie’s 2024-25 expectations
When Barrie arrived at Flames camp in the fall, there’s no doubting that he was closer to the end of his career than the beginning – after 13 seasons of pro hockey, eventually players slow down and aren’t what they once were. But what Barrie had on his side was a ton of experience as a high-end offensive player, especially on the power play.
In 2023-24, Barrie was limited to 41 games with Nashville. He was injured for 10 games and a scratch for the other 31. He posted 15 points with Nashville, being pretty heavily sheltered and playing a bit on the power play. He didn’t wildly impress – the Predators were content to let him walk into free agency – but he did what he was asked to do.
The hope when he signed a one year deal with the Flames was that he could help make the Flames’ power play, which had ranked 26th in 2023-24, a little bit better when he dressed. The Flames’ special teams units seemed set with MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson as the point men, but adding another right shot in Barrie to a very leftie-heavy forward group could produce some complimentarities and add a dynamic to the PP units.
Barrie wouldn’t play all the time, but he’d rotate in and out, probably, depending on the type of opponent the Flames were facing.
How Barrie did in 2024-25
So here’s the challenge with Barrie: he’s a right shot blueliner on a Flames team that already had several.
Weegar and Andersson were basically locks in the lineup, with Weegar able to play on the left side ably. But the season began with Daniil Miromanov playing the right side beside Weegar, and rightie Brayden Pachal effectively cemented on the right side of the third pairing. So unless Barrie could play the left side, or unless another rightie came out of the lineup, it was challenging to get Barrie into the lineup with any great consistency.
Barrie played 13 times for the Flames: three times in October, nine in November, twice in January and twice in February. He posted three points, two on the power play, across those 13 games. Between the lineup challenges and some defensive foibles in Barrie’s game when he did play, he ended up being a healthy scratch 41 times this season for the Flames – the most of anybody on their NHL roster.
Barrie joined the Wranglers for a weekend in late January on a conditioning stint, then cleared waivers the following month and was assigned to the Wranglers full-time in late February. He played 11 AHL games, primarily on a pairing with Ilya Solovyov, and posted five points. (Three of his five points were on the Wranglers’ power play.)
However, Barrie suffered a whiplash injury in mid-March and didn’t play for the remainder of the season.
24 combined games between the NHL and AHL is, by far, the fewest Barrie has played in 14 years as a pro.
Next season’s expectations
Given the potential to possibly integrate a much younger right shot blueliner, Zayne Parekh, into the Flames lineup, we’re pretty sure that Barrie’s run with the Flames organization will be one-and-done. Barrie’s slowing down and, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has quipped in the past, Father Time is undefeated. Eventually everyone’s time in pro hockey reaches its conclusion.
That said, hopefully Barrie is able to catch on somewhere, if that’s his desire. He’s had such a good professional career that it’d be a shame if he wasn’t given the chance to close out his playing career on his own terms. He potentially still has something left in the tank at the right level of hockey, so we’ll see what unfolds for him.
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