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The Edmonton Oilers announced that they signed, defenceman, Tyson Barrie to a one-year deal worth $3.75 million. Barrie put up 39 points in 70 games in a disappointing year with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
LET'S GO!
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 10, 2020
The #Oilers have agreed to terms with defenceman Tyson Barrie on a one-year, $3.75 million contract.@Rogers | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/rWnxgKhudO
The deal comes after a few days of rampant speculation between Barrie and the Oilers. It seems as though he was offered more money and more term by other teams but turned them down to join the Oilers.
Tyson Barrie turned down more money elsewhere to join the #Oilers, including a $6 million offer.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 10, 2020
Barrie will come in and play on the team’s second defensive pair and will anchor the league’s best power-play unit. There are some question marks when it comes to his defensive play but there is something to be said about his ability to move the puck. The team finally has a proven offensive defenceman who can man a power-play and move the puck up the ice. He is only one season removed from a 59 point season. Here is a look at some of his fancy stats:
Just working off of Dreger's speculated term/AAV, 29 y.o. Tyson Barrie joins EDM for all the right reasons. He remains a very positively impactful offensive player and walks into an open role on perhaps the NHL's deadliest PP. It's a good fit for him and it's good value for EDM. pic.twitter.com/MSADa73dMm
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) October 10, 2020
There is some question as to how this will affect the current defensive group. As it currently stands the Oilers have Ethan Bear, Adam Larsson and Evan Bouchard at the position. I genuinely think that Bouchard is more than ready to make the jump to the NHL so I am hesitant to send him back down. I wonder if they try to swap Larsson to the left-side to help soften Oscar Klefbom’s absence.
The fact that Barrie left a significant amount of money on the table to join the Oilers is encouraging. It’s clear that he wants to be in Edmonton and wants to prove that last year’s disappointing season was a blip on the radar. We should expect a super motivated player when the season starts.
When you consider the Calgary Flames paid Chris Tanev to a longer deal with a higher AAV, this is great value for the Oilers.
We now wait to see what the Ken Holland does in the crease..