It’s Time to Trade Barrie

The Oilers defence is basically set. They have six defencemen under contract for next season, including the impending graduation of Philip Broberg.

The Oilers don’t have a lot of cap space. Most of the work that they need to do is up front, but there is a move that they can make on the back end that would open up some cap space for them.

Evan Bouchard had a stellar rookie season. He led the Oilers defencemen in scoring with 43 points. That was with limited powerplay time. It’s worth noting that he did get more powerplay time as it got to be later in the season.

Tyson Barrie was the powerplay quarterback of choice. Barrie does a great job as the powerplay quarterback. He moves the puck quickly and decisively, which was more noticeable after watching Bouchard fail to move it as quickly as Barrie does. Barrie is a powerplay specialist. He used to be more of a mobile offensive defenceman, but his effectiveness at even strength has decreased. 21 of his 41 points came on the powerplay this past season. Only seven of Bouchard’s 43 points came on the powerplay. Barrie had nineteen even strength points compared to Bouchard’s 35. Barrie was consistently deployed on the bottom pairing. That’s not a spot where Barrie’s skill set can shine. 

Bouchard has passed Barrie as an even strength defenceman, and Bouchard will quickly be able to be the main quarterback on an NHL powerplay. The Oilers also have Darnell Nurse that can run the powerplay. Duncan Keith did it at times this past season, and Philip Broberg could get some chances there next year as well. The point is that Barrie’s skill set can be replaced from within, and they could benefit from moving his $4.5 million cap hit.

Brett Kulak was an important player for the Oilers this spring. He skates beautifully, he’s rangy, he can bring more of a physical element than Barrie does, and he can play up and down the lineup. He can also play on either side of the ice. He’s a left shot, but he could fill Barrie’s spot on the right side of the third pairing. Broberg can also play either side, so the Oilers could have a mobile third pairing with two players that both feel comfortable on either side of the ice. Kulak would cost a fraction of Barrie’s price.

Moving Barrie out and re-signing Kulak would be a smart way to open up some cap space. The team would lose some offence from the back end, but Broberg is a good bet to make up for Barrie’s even strength offence. Bouchard is bound to get more points on the powerplay with increased time as the powerplay quarterback. They might not be able to cover for all of Barrie’s offence, but the team would likely allow fewer goals against after moving Barrie. They could spend more money on forwards after moving Barrie, which would also help offset his lost offence.

Barrie would fetch something in return though. This would be a move made for cap reasons, so the return would have to include a roster player making less than Barrie does if a roster player were to be included at all. Ken Holland might be looking to replenish some draft picks at the top of this week’s draft.

Jeff Petry might be traded out of Montreal. They would need a right-handed powerplay quarterback to replace him if he were to be moved. That’s likely why Elliotte Friedman suggested that Montreal is interested in Barrie on his 32 Thoughts podcast. The Habs have the draft capital that the Oilers seek. I wonder if a player like Jake Evans would be available. He’s 26 years old, he can play centre or right wing, he’s got speed, and he forechecks well. He’d be a nice addition to the bottom six group. The Oilers are also in need of a sniper. Another option could be to swap Barrie for Mike Hoffman. Their cap hits and terms are identical. The Oilers would get a top six scoring winger with money that’s already allocated for the next two years, and the Habs would be able to comfortably move Petry’s cap hit out.

The Dallas Stars appear to be losing John Klingberg to free agency. Barrie could fill their need for a right-handed defenceman that can play on the powerplay should they lose Klingberg. Dallas has a second round pick in this year’s draft. Stars GM Jim Nill worked with Holland in Detroit. Something could easily happen there.

PIttsburgh will be another team to watch here. Kris Letang is an impending UFA. He’s been a lifelong Penguin, but there’s no guarantee that he will be back in Pittsburgh. If he were to move on, then Barrie could be a potential fit as their replacement powerplay quarterback. The Penguins don’t have their second, third, or fourth round picks in this year’s draft, but Kasperi Kapanen is a player that they could trade after a disappointing season. Kapanen is a speedy right winger that could potentially replace Jesse Puljujarvi. Holland could recoup a draft pick in a Puljujarvi deal. I’m not saying it’s ideal, but it could happen. It sounds like Pittsburgh will try to re-sign Letang, so I doubt that this trade would happen before Thursday.

The best team for the Oilers to trade Barrie to would be the Seattle Kraken. They have plenty of draft picks to spare. A deal with them would likely consist of picks and prospects, which is probably the best case scenario for the Oilers because they wouldn’t have to take on any cap space.

It was exciting when Barrie came here, but he was always going to be a placeholder for Evan Bouchard. Bouchard has passed him and the Oilers are in a little bit of cap trouble, so now is the time to move him.