As per reports, the Edmonton Oilers and defenseman Tyson Barrie have come to terms on a contract for one season, valued at $3.75 million for the year.
This signing, along with Tyler Ennis, Kyle Turris, and Jesse Puljujarvi all help build out the Oilers and fill holes for a combined $7.58 million. Not too shabby.
Holland needed to sign a blueliner after it was learned Oscar Klefbom would be out for close to most of the season and Barrie seems like the ideal replacement from what was left on the open market.
Dreger noted the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche were also in the mix but this has to seen as a perfect fit for both the player and the team. It’s a great opportunity for Barrie where he’ll have a lot of room to be a top guy. In the other cities, players like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes were good teammates but barriers to upping his numbers.
According to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, Barrie turned down a $6 million offer to join the Oilers.
Related: Oilers Done Up Front, Regrouping on Defenseman and a Goalie
Barrie Looking to Bounce Back
A defenseman who is looking for a rebound season, Tyson Barrie’s tenure in Toronto was not terribly pretty. It wasn’t as awful as some have suggested, but the expectation for Barrie was set to so high, his 39 points made him enemy No. 1 considering Maple Leafs fans believed he would be good for 50-60 points.
Now, Barrie will join the Edmonton Oilers and get a chance to prove the Leafs had it wrong by discounting his contributions.
He’s not a strong defensive player and he’s not necessarily going to produce a ton of stops but he’ll quarterback a power play and even outside of top-pairing minutes will get 30-40 points.
Just before free agency opened up, the Barrie-to-Edmonton talk picked up. The problem was the Oilers weren’t sure what was going to happen with top-pair blueliner Oscar Klefbom. He was dealing with nagging shoulder injury and if the Oilers knew he’d be gone, Barrie could fill that hole.
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