Tyson Barrie has signed with the Calgary Flames. Where does he fit?

16 hours ago

Calgary Herald

Published Oct 04, 2024 • 4 minute read

Tyson Barrie skates during the Calgary Flames training camp. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

It might not look like Tyson Barrie will be in the opening night lineup for the Calgary Flames, but it sure beats not having a contract.

Tyson Barrie - Figure 1 — Photo Calgary Herald

And Barrie is prepared to be patient.

The veteran defenceman signed a one-year deal worth $1.25 million US with the Flames on Thursday after spending training camp with the team on a professional tryout agreement.

The 33-year-old now is part of the Flames’ season-long plans, bringing more NHL experience than any blueliner the team has on its books and an offensive skillset that should bolster the power play when he’s called upon.

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He’ll likely start the season as their seventh d-man. He knows that.

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“Kind of what I’ve done my whole career, be great around the room and when I get the opportunity, jump in and try to make a difference,” Barrie said when he was asked what he could bring to the Flames this season. “I think that’s my next goal, to re-establish myself as a full-time NHL player and a good one at that. Just be patient and kind of wait for my chance to try to make a mark.”

That chance will come, no doubt, but for now the Flames seem to have settled on three defensive pairings to start the season.

Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl will be paired up and were set to play their first game together in Friday night’s pre-season tilt against the Winnipeg Jets. Bahl missed the early days of training camp after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils this summer, but the Flames believe he can play big minutes.

Daniil Miromanov and MacKenzie Weegar will look to build on the chemistry they had started to find last year after Miromanov joined the Flames in the deal that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights.

That leaves the third pairing.

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For Friday night’s pre-season game, it was set to be Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal, who has had an exceptional training camp and offers a more physical option on the blueline.

Tyson Barrie - Figure 3 — Photo Calgary Herald

Leaving out the possibility of injuries and Barrie needing to slot in for someone who is forced out of the lineup, that third pairing is most likely where he’d be looking for playing time, although you’d absolutely expect him to get some power-play time regardless of where he is in the lineup, too.

Barrie is a right-handed shot who has scored 109 goals and has piled up 396 assists in 809 NHL games, after all. That’s the 10th-most among active NHL blueliners, so it’s not hard to see how the Flames could use him.

“Of course we’re happy that he and we settled on the contract,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “I think we all know what Tyson is. He is a player that’s motivated right now and feels like he has a lot to prove. His strength is the offensive side of the game, for sure, I feel like it gives us another option offensively, on the power-play, all that stuff. We’re excited to have him.”

If there’s been a knock on Barrie’s game over the years, it has been in the defensive end.

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He’s a minus-76 over his career and was a minus-10 last year. If he’s going to stay in the lineup and play big minutes, he’ll need to show that he can be relied on in his own zone.

“We need all our defencemen to be responsible,” Huska said. “He has a skill-set, we know that about him, but at the same time if you can’t help keep the puck out of the net it makes it tough to get you in the lineup at times.

“He’s played a lot of games in the NHL for a reason. He can handle himself defensively, without a doubt, and he is motivated to be a guy who can be counted on in more than just the offensive situations like the power-play.”

For Barrie’s part, he knows what people say about the defensive side of the game and wants to prove them wrong.

It was a tough summer, waiting for the phone to ring for a contract offer and, after proving himself in Flames camp, he can’t wait to prove that he still has what it takes to play in the best league in the world.

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Whenever that opportunity comes, he’s eager to take it.

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“It’s just a new perspective, I’m going to try to play this game as long as I can,” Barrie said. “I’m going to keep showing up until they look the doors. It’s a great game, it’s a lot of fun to be around the rink.

“The thought of not going on the road with the boys and having the dinner the night before games and a glass of red, it hurt.”

WAIVER WIRE

The Flames assigned Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt and Jarred Tinordi to the Calgary Wranglers on Friday morning. All three had been placed on waivers on Thursday but got through and will now report to the Wranglers or AHL duties … Blake Coleman was the only expected everyday starter who wasn’t in the lineup for Friday’s game, but it was entirely because he’s a veteran and the Flames wanted to give other players one final look.

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