Former Nashville Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie has officially landed a PTO with the Calgary Flames.
About a week after it was first reported that the Flames were nearing a professional tryout with the veteran offensive-defenseman, the sides have settled it. Barrie didn’t fit well on the Predators and didn’t play a ton, but he has a chance to change that this season by proving himself and earning a contract.
The defense of the Flames is very much up in the air. There are a lot of younger or inexperienced d-men on the team, gathered from trades or recent signings. Barrie isn’t a top pairing defenseman, but he is effective offensively if he’s given the right opportunity.
It was just two seasons ago in 2022-23 that Barrie recorded 13 goals and 55 points split between the Edmonton Oilers and Predators. He can also log a good amount of minutes if needed for the Flames. The 33-year-old finished eight consecutive seasons above 20 minutes per game of average ice time before three straight just below.
If the Flames indeed do continue to look to trade off more big pieces, Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson especially, then Barrie would be the perfect fit to slide in on the top power play and help keep production up. He has a great wrist shot from the point that more often than not can get through to the net. This is how he has 109 career goals and 32 power-play goals.
Related: Flames Nearing PTO With Former Nashville Predator Tyson Barrie: Could Play Big Role
There was no chance Barrie was coming back to the Predators after how things ended last season, but there was also little chance he was done playing in the NHL. As previously stated by Pierre LeBrun, the Flames hope this PTO for Barrie results in more than a league-minimum contract.
Despite signing a PTO, Barrie could still sign anywhere and nothing is set in stone yet. But Calgary seems like the best destination for him at this time.
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