The New Jersey Devils still have some major issues on the defensive end. There are a few players on the market who could provide a fix on the blue line. One of those players is Tyson Barrie, but he could come at a hefty price.
The New Jersey Devils may not be very busy during the NHL Trade Deadline. Especially if they can continue to win, then GM Ray Shero may decide to stay put on his players. However, if a player that’s going to help them in the future as much as they are now becomes available, the Devils will likely jump all over them.
One of those players is Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie. He’s signed for two more years after this one, but it does come at the hefty price of $5.5 million on the cap each season. (Per CapFriendly)
The Devils can easily fit him, with $20 million in cap space next year and only Brian Gibbons as an unrestricted free agent they are desperate to sign. The cap hit shouldn’t be a major motivator, but it could hurt the Avs return.
There is one issue with this signing, this means the Devils are spending a lot of money on defense to not have one of the better units in the league. Before a Barrie trade, the Devils are spending around $18 million on the blue line. Adding Barrie would put them north of $23 million.
Barrie, however, would be worth it for the right price on the market. He has three double-digit goal seasons, and he’s just 26 years old. His offensive production has dipped the past two seasons, but that’s because he is focusing on his offensive game.
There is another issue, however, that could put this possible trade in jeopardy. Since the Avalanche are on the cusp of playoff contention, their selling price will be so high.
Avs GM Joe Sakic proved with his Matt Duchene trade that he’s willing to wait until he wins the trade. He wants some ridiculous package for a forward, so his defenseman asking price might be insane. Shero will never pay an insane price, so if that’s the case then this trade won’t happen.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
For the sake of this article, let’s pretend the asking price is normal for Barrie. I see Barrie as a slightly better player than Sami Vatanen. Both can be amazing in the right situation, and play a great two-way game. While true, I think the asking price will be much different because of what the Avs need.
I will preface this trade with this, I don’t think these two teams are a fit anymore. Now that Colorado is in the playoff race, they want players who can impact right now. When Adam Henrique got trade for Vatanen, the Devils lost that extra scoring piece to make a big move like this. However, let’s try anyway.
I can see this trade going one of two ways, if Marcus Johanson comes back any time soon, then I see the Avalanche making him the centerpiece of their trade. If not, it’s going to cost something like Steve Santini, Stefan Noesen and two picks.
Like I said, the price is too high. I don’t see it happening, but it doesn’t hurt for Shero to ask.