Remembering Tyson Barrie’s career with Colorado Avalanche

Longtime Colorado Avalanche blue liner Tyson Barrie called it a career on Monday. The 34-year-old officially announced his retirement from the league, according to NHL.com.

Barrie was a UFA this summer after signing a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames last summer. He joined the Flames on a PTO, made the team, but only played 13 games before getting cut.

It was a sad ending for the offensive defenseman after more than a decade of success at the NHL level. Barrie was a third-round pick of the Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Draft. He joined the Avalanche during some lean years, managing to earn a regular spot on the team’s blue line.

Before long, he was the club’s best defenseman. His best season came with the Avalanche during the 2018-19 season. That year, Barrie scored 14 goals and 45 assists for 59 points. However, he was entering the final year of his four-year, $22 million contract extension signed in 2016.

The relative uncertainty and specific team needs prompted the Colorado Avalanche to trade Barrie to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nazem Kadri during the 2019 offseason. The deal was billed as a “hockey trade,” though Barrie, unfortunately, floundered in Toronto.

Kadri, meanwhile, flourished in Colorado, winning the 2022 Stanley Cup with the team.

Barrie joined the Edmonton Oilers on a one-year deal after leaving Toronto. He signed a three-year extension in Edmonton, but couldn’t find the same success he once had in Colorado. The Oilers traded Barrie to the Nashville Predators where he spent parts of two seasons.

Last summer, Barrie was on the outs. He signed with the Flames, ending his career with 822 games played, 110 goals and 398 assists for 508 career points.

Barrie laid foundation for Colorado Avalanche championship team

Tyson Barrie played during some lean seasons in Colorado. This was before Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were on the club. But once the team boasted Gabe Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Makar as the core, the club was well on its way to playoff success.

Barrie was part of several disappointing playoff runs that saw the Avalanche get bounced in the first and second rounds. The trade to Toronto was part of the Avalanche’s efforts to fill in a much-needed spot in the team’s top six. 

The reasons behind the trade to the Maple Leafs involved multiple dimensions. From the need to fill out the top six to the uncertainty behind his contract extension, the trade precipitated a downward spiral in Barrie’s career.

We can only imagine what could have been of Barrie’s career had he never been traded to Toronto. Perhaps the Avalanche would have won the 2022 Stanley Cup without Kadri, anyway. This assessment is part of an alternate universe.

But in this universe, Tyson Barrie is responsible for setting the groundwork for what was one of the best Avalanche teams in franchise history. He deserves a ton of credit for giving the Avalanche a rock-solid blue liner for nearly a decade.