Colorado Avalanche can Afford to Lose Tyson Barrie

If the Colorado Avalanche must make a trade, they should consider Tyson Barrie over Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog.

The Colorado Avalanche are at the center of so many trade rumors. That’s inevitable when a team is dead-last in the NHL and has more losses than points. (Ouch.)

Thus far, the centers of the trade rumors have been left wing Gabriel Landeskog and center Matt Duchene. The rationale is that the team most needs help on defense.

Well, if the Avs need help on defense, then they should be looking at trading Tyson Barrie.

Yes, technically Tyson Barrie is a defenseman, so it makes no sense to trade him. However, we all know he’s not really a defenseman, he’s a rover — that old throwback position that had a player roving around the ice wherever he was needed.

Unfortunately, Barrie has a tendency to not be in the right place defensively. When he is, he does have a nifty stick move or two in his defensive cache, but he’s pretty limited in how much D he can provide.

Now, I’m not in any way suggesting that Tyson Barrie has nothing to offer the team. He does have good stickhandling, and he’s a good puck mover. He does provide offense, though it’s been limited this year to 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) in 46 games played. To be fair, that’s good for #5 on the team and best of all defensemen.

And we all know he’s been our Mr. Clutch in the past — he’s the player you want on the ice when the team is down by one or even two late in the third.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that, when it comes to advanced stats, Barrie is pretty good. He’s got a positive Corsi For in all situations — 52.4% — and a positive Relative Corsi — 8.4. That includes his power play time, and he does get a lot of work with the man advantage. When it comes to even strength Corsi For, he’s at 47.2, which is dead middle of the team.

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Here’s where I also point out an even more advanced stat. When it comes to playing against the tough opponents, defined as the 30 best centers in the NHL, Barrie is second only to Francois Beauchemin in how much of a liability he is at -17.8. Just against regular opponents he’s -6.6.

And if he’s Mr. Clutch, then he’s also the Giveaway King. He’s at -19, which means he’s given the puck away 19 more times than he’s taken it. He’s not big on hitting or blocking shots either, which isn’t unusual considering he’s only 5-foot-10, 190 pounds.

Now, it’s usually understood that offensive defensemen such as Tyson Barrie can be something of a defensive liability. Like I said, he does contribute to the team, especially in the offense department.

Is that enough, though, to make up for a team that’s lacking so much on the blueline? I don’t think so.

When it comes to the Avalanche, Barrie doesn’t contribute as much offense as either Duchene or Landeskog. The team needs to control the puck from going into their net, but they also need to score goals. Barrie facilitates that, but not as much as Matt and Gabriel.

Here’s the thing — Tyson Barrie could be every bit as valuable as Duchene or Landeskog as trade bait. If a team is more solid on defense, a rover with a clutch attitude could help that team get far. Teams that are considering Kevin Shattenkirk would do well to give Barrie a look because he comes with a much smaller price tag.

It’s said that GM Joe Sakic is asking for an NHL-worthy defenseman, a prospect and a draft pick for either Duchene or Landeskog. Why couldn’t he get an NHL-worthy shut-down defenseman, an offensive prospect and a first-round draft pick for Barrie?

MORE FROM MILE HIGH STICKING: Should the Avs Trade for a Defensive Stud?

It’s true that I’m trying to rationalize not trading Matt Duchene and/or Gabriel Landeskog, but it’s with good reason. The Colorado Avalanche are my favorite team, and I want the best players for my team. Duchene and Landeskog are those players over Barrie.