Adam Larsson Unlikely to Re-Sign with Oilers, Barrie Likely to Return

A few media members closer to the Oilers have suggested Adam Larsson re-signing in Edmonton was not a given. Hints that he might want to test the free agency market to see what his value is have been out there for a while. That said, most of those media members still believed that a deal was as likely to get done as it was Larsson might leave. Heck, some suggested the Oilers had the deal in the bag, Mark Spector suggesting a four-year deal at $3.9 million per season was agreed upon in principle.

Things have changed over the past few days.

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Frank Seravalli of the Daily Face-off podcast notes:

“My understanding is that the Oilers and Adam Larsson are rather unlikely at this point to get something done and that he’ll be heading to market. Now, I think the development which is really interesting is that Tyson Barrie has a real chance to stay in Edmonton. That’s been the the sort of shift that’s occurred over the last four or five days.”

The notes here suggest that a deal won’t be done between the Oilers and Larsson before free agency opens. That doesn’t necessarily mean a deal won’t get done. This is a essentially a report denying that Edmonton and the defenseman have a deal ready to announce. This a report denying the blueliner not foregoing his right to test the market. These are all things the Oilers knew were possible.

This is also a report that shifts thinking for the first time in a while. It’s a hint that Larsson is more likely to sign elsewhere than he is to sign in Edmonton. If so, that’s a big loss for the Oilers, even if Tyson Barrie is a player that winds up coming back as a result.

Larsson is unique on this Oilers blue line. He’s a defense first kind of player that is tough, gritty, blocks shots and can break up a cycle. The Oilers don’t have another player like that on their right side. As for Barrie, as useful as he is on the power play, he hasn’t proven he can do what Larsson does.

What About Barrie?

Even if the Oilers bring back Barrie, what is their plan? First, Barrie offers a lot of the same things Evan Bouchard is supposed to. Does he steal minutes from the prospect? Second, can Ethan Bear step into the role Adam Larsson occupied? There’s a lot of evidence that suggests it could be a struggle for Bear to do so. Finally, will the Oilers need to go out and add another right-side d-man who offers similar skills to Larsson?

Seravalli said of Tyson Barrie returning:

He wants to come back, and also sees how good of a fit it was and why change it. I think that both sides are open to the idea, the question is how does the pecking order go around the league. Where does Dougie Hamilton go? How much does he sign for? All those things kind of go into it, but Tyson Barrie has a real strong chance to stay. 

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