Tyson Barrie is a favorite among fans and bloggers who follow the Edmonton Oilers. I guess I’m the problem, because I simply don’t understand the fascination. I think Barrie is a good hockey player, one of the better offensive defenders in the NHL today. He puts up a ton of points and he can move the puck. I won’t dispute that he is a top-four defender either.
My issue? Is he really the guy that Edmonton needs? Is he going to be the big addition who helps pull this tire fire defense out of the dumpster? Judging by how his team is a possession disaster and one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, I’d suggest that the answer to that question is no.
However, many people who are much smarter than me think Barrie is a VERY good defender who would help the Oilers immensely. So, with that in mind, I went hunting for answers. Why is everyone in love with him?
Off-Season Targets:
I looked at Tyson Barrie a few weeks back in my off-season targets series. You can read the full piece here, but the following is the basis of the post, where I look at Barrie’s strengths as a player:
He isn’t one of the most popular or discussed names in the NHL, but I don’t think it’s an understatement to call Tyson Barrie one of the best offensive defenders in the game today. This is an extremely quick and mobile defender with exceptional offensive instincts. Barrie can jump in on the rush and is a legit threat in the offensive zone.
Offensively, Barrie is a terrific passer. His ability to lead smooth breakouts and to get the puck to the attacking forwards with ease has made him so successful with a young and dynamic group of forwards in Colorado. He’d be a breath of fresh air for Oiler forwards who struggled handling grenade passes the last few years.
Barrie also possesses a tremendously accurate and strong shot, which sets him up as a double threat offensively. He’s also a legit powerplay quarterback, something the Oil are sorely lacking.
Defensively, he’s not overly consistent. Barrie struggles against bigger forwards and doesn’t play a physical style, which sometimes leads to him struggling against the cycle. Overall, however, he’s a smart player and his instincts allow him to be effective in the defensive zone more often than not.
Where There Is Smoke…
With my thoughts out there on Barrie, let’s take a look at why the defender is being talked about so much. Here are some tweets and quotes from media regarding the rearguard and his availability:
Rishaug thinks Oil are gonna go after Tyson Barrie HARD. Gregor responds saying he’s overrated & gonna be overpaid @ $5.5M for a 2nd pair D.
— JUMBO (@akaRCN) May 17, 2016
Elliotte Friedman also touched on this subject on 630 CHED a few weeks back, saying that Barrie is available for the right deal. His full comments are here.
A Deeper Dig:
To educate myself on the player, I decided to take some time to read Woodguy’s piece on him. In that piece, I learned that Colorado is a complete mess possession wise and that Barrie is one of their better possession players. This adds to the argument that Barrie isn’t the issue, rather it’s the players around him.
Here are some stats I discovered that I feel are relevant to the discussion; Barrie’s CF% in 2015-16: 45.8%, down from 46% in 2014-15. His Corsi Rel this past season, however, was .9, indicating that he was better than the average player in Colorado. Still not good, but better than what he was playing with.
Woodguy revealed to us in his piece that Barrie’s two most frequent partners were Nick Holden and Nate Guenin. With all due respect, Guenin is not an NHL’er and Holden is borderline. He hasn’t played with a top-four defender as his top partner these last few seasons.
Does Barrie carrying around these players contribute to him struggling possession wise? I can’t say for sure, but it’s a strong possibility. I wonder what he would look like playing with Oscar Klefbom or Andrej Sekera for a full season. Could he hit 50% for his CF%?
While I recommend reading Woodguy’s entire piece (It’s very interesting and informative), there are a few points I want to post here. One is that Barrie, in his estimation, clocks out as a second pairing defender. Offensively, Woodguy ranks him as an elite producer at 5-on-5 and mentions him as one of the best defenders in the NHL on the man advantage.
Final Thoughts:
When I wrote about Tyson Barrie a few weeks back, I labelled him as a strong option, but only as a second pairing option. After reading Woodguy’s look at him (And a few others here and here) I’m a little more in favor of adding the rearguard this summer.
His offensive ability has never been questioned and I think he would be a good fit in that regard. I also think he would be a big help on the powerplay and that he would help the lack of RHD on the roster currently. The Oilers, however, have a history of adding defenders and then playing them in spots that they simply do not fit.
Is Barrie another example of that for the Oilers? He’s handled big minutes before, but he’s always been in second pairing roles. Can he make that jump and be Oscar Klefbom’s partner next season? I’m not sure, it makes me uneasy.
I can see the fuss with Tyson Barrie, but I’m not sold on his defensive game and I’m not sure if Edmonton should give up a massive amount of assets and then a massive contract to bring in a player whose warts are exactly the same issues that Edmonton has had for years.
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