Calgary Flames

Oilers Can, But Shouldn’t Bring Back Waived Flames’ D-Man

Tyson Barrie is on waivers by the Calgary Flames and there will be immediate sentiment to bring him back to the Oilers. Good idea?

by
Jim Parsons
February 20, 2025

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Calgary Flames are placing veteran defenseman Tyson Barrie on waivers Thursday afternoon. Seeing as the team is active in the market for defensemen, this is a player the Edmonton Oilers might look at. Would that be a good idea?

At one time, I was an advocate for considering Barrie on a short return tour. However, today, he is not an ideal fit, considering the Oilers now have two power-play quarterbacks on their roster. Both Evan Bouchard and John Klingberg are better players. Sure, if either player gets injured or Klingberg doesn’t pan out as hoped, depth at a low cost can’t hurt. That said, the Oilers have bigger needs and there is such a thing as too much of the same player — something the Oilers are already experiencing in the forward corps.

Barrie was a former Oiler who had great results with the team. He played in Edmonton from 2020 to 2023 before being traded to the Nashville Predators as part of the deal to bring Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton. It was a great trade for the Oilers, but Barrie’s career hasn’t been the same since he left.

Barrie knows how to play with the players on this team, he understands he’s no longer a regular in the NHL, and he’s inexpensive. A $1.25 million cap hit, the Oilers might feel going with the player you know is better than taking a risk on a player they don’t. Those are all positives. The negative is that Barrie isn’t what he was when he last played in Edmonton.

Plucking Barrie Off Waivers a Long Shot for Oilers

Do I see this happening? No, I don’t. Barrie has only played in 13 games this season and has three points. The Oilers likely want to go with a bigger upgrade that can offer more minutes and play a more regular role. A team like the Boston Bruins, who just lost Charlie McAvoy would make more sense than the Oilers would. Maybe even the Dallas Stars, who just lost Nils Lundkvist and Miro Heiskanen would be a better fit.

As for the Flames decision to waive Barrie, Darren Haynes of The Canadian Press writes, “With Tyson Barrie, 33, being put on waivers, and Ilya Solovyov, 24, and Yan Kuznetsov, 22, recalled from the AHL, Flames just got younger and arguably better.” He adds, “Barrie’s last NHL game wasn’t good. Solovyov’s last NHL game was excellent. This is the right move. Invest in the future.”

Next: Sabres’ Close Call: Failed Pettersson Trade Rumor Saved a GM