If Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning wants to win, Trader Jim needs to call the Colorado Avalanche and bring defenseman Tyson Barrie home.
Nobody is sure how involved the Vancouver Canucks are, but everything is pointing to Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie being traded this offseason, most likely in the next handful of months.
Indubitably, the list of teams interested in acquiring Barrie’s services is large. Expect the market to open up even more. The want for transition-game players should grow, especially now that the Pittsburgh Penguins are proving that a top-six almost solely consisting of the shifty two-way type of blueliners can win championships.
Look at Olli Maatta, Justin Schultz and Kris Letang on the Penguins’ blue line. Tell me that teams are not looking to add similar pieces to their blueline to mimic a winning formula.
If the Avalanche intends to move Barrie, they will have no issue whatsoever. The price will continue to peak as the draft gets closer and as teams raise the stakes.
If there’s one thing that we learned about Jim Benning in the trade for Erik Gudbranson, it is that Trader Jim does not like wasting time. He jumped at the opportunity to snatch the defenseman off the table before other teams “smelled the blood”. Who knows how much more Gudbranson would have fetched had other teams got their licks in.
For this reason, GM Jim Benning might not like to pursue Barrie. The entire league is after him and the table is getting too crowded with suitors who have more assets than the Canucks do.
Whatever overpaying is, it will be the one and only market price.
But are the Canucks ready to take on this Tyson Barrie trading nemesis? There is a great case both for and against trading for Tyson Barrie. Here are ten of those thoughts as I struggle myself to make my mind on whether Tyson Barrie would work for the Canucks and make all forget about the steep price the Canucks will have to pay the Colorado Avalanche.
Next: FOR BARRIE: Undeniable Offense from the Defense