Tyson Barrie Available?

Earlier during our off-season targets series here at The Oilers Rig, I profiled Tyson Barrie as a potential trade target for the club. The full piece is here, but my main point was that Edmonton still needs a top-four defender who is a right-shot and Barrie fits the bill. He’s an offensive defender and the Oilers are lacking exactly that kind of player on the backend.

In the piece I gave a few reasons as to why Barrie could be available, but as is always the case with speculation pieces I wasn’t 100% sure that Colorado would be willing to trade him. That was until this past weekend when NHL insider Elliotte Friedman dropped an interesting note about the rearguard.

A couple of execs who were in France and Germany admitted they were disappointed by

Tyson

Barrie

Defence

Victoria, BC

</div> </div>

gp

74

</div>

g

7

</div>

a

31

</div> </div>

+/-

-34

</div>

sog

182

</div>

s%

3.8

</div> </div> </div>

Status: Day-To-Day

Injury: Leg

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Full Profile

</div> </div> </div> “>Tyson Barrie’s off-ice injury. They wanted to see him. Defencemen have value. As one said, “He’s available, but it’s got to be a legitimate hockey trade.”

The full piece is here, but that is the money quote regarding Barrie and his potential availability. The Avalanche aren’t selling him for picks and prospects, but it sounds like Barrie could be had for roster pieces. This makes the fit a little more complicated for the Oilers, but it is still very possible.

The Fourth Period reported earlier this week that Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are also expected to find themselves in the rumor mill this summer, so Colorado is likely going to want some forward help in return for either Barrie, Duchene or Landeskog. If Matt Duchene is moved for a young defender, Barrie’s asking price would likely be a top-six NHL forward.

Does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have the same value as Barrie? Probably not, but Nuge could be an appealing option for the Avalanche to replace Duchene in the top-six. I’d argue that Nugent-Hopkins would produce more in Colorado with more power play time and a bigger role than what he had in Edmonton this past season.

What about Jordan Eberle? He’s coming off of a poor season but still hit the 20-goal and 50-point plateaus this year. The problem? Eberle is now 27 and only has two years left on his deal, so that may not be appealing to the Avalanche. He doesn’t fit age wise and he could bolt in two seasons in the midst of Colorado’s rebuilding effort.

The trade piece that makes the most sense here? Jesse Puljujarvi. That’s right, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft not only has the value, but also would be very appealing to the Avalanche moving forward. He is young enough to grow with that group, and would represent a young forward to build around with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Is there risk here for Edmonton? Absolutely there is. Puljujarvi is a damn good prospect and I still believe that he will be a productive top-six forward in the NHL even after a tough first season in North America. It’s very possible that Edmonton moves Puljujarvi and he becomes a stud with the Avalanche.

At the same time, Tyson Barrie is a perfect fit with the Oilers and is still young enough (25) to be a long-term solution in the team’s top-four on defense. If Barrie comes to Edmonton, plays in the top-four and gives his normal production for say, six seasons, then it would all be worth it.

As for Puljujarvi, I’d be very cautious in overreacting to a tough season for an 18-year old who saw his entire life change in the last calendar year. It wasn’t the best North American debut, but as we saw with Leon Draisaitl just a few seasons ago, the first pro year can simply be just an adjustment period.

Is there concern about his offense? Yes, there was on draft day and those questions were not answered in Edmonton or Bakersfield this past winter, but Puljujarvi shouldn’t simply be thrown away. He is still a quality prospect and I believe will be a quality forward at the NHL level.

Would Peter Chiarelli get bold and move Puljujarvi just one season after selecting him? I’m not sure he would, but Tyson Barrie would be quite a nice haul if Chiarelli decided to go that route. That, my friends, would be a hockey trade.