Vancouver Canucks: The Great Tyson Barrie Debate
By David Joun
FOR BARRIE: Undeniable Offense from the Defense
As simple as it is, the offensive punch Tyson Barrie can bring to any NHL blueline is formidable. His point totals and his shot-possession metrics testify.
He is a consistent 50-point per season producer who is constantly in the double digits in the goals column. Considering the Canucks didn’t have a single defenseman scoring more than half a dozen goals last year, Barrie is an obvious choice.
More from Canucks News
- Canucks are in “wash, rinse, repeat” mode after Monday’s 5-1 loss
- Canucks send Jack Rathbone and Vasily Podkolzin down to Abbotsford
- Canucks acquire Ethan Bear, Lane Pederson from Carolina
- Brock Boeser, Curtis Lazar placed on injury reserve
- Canucks officially unveil Reverse Retro jersey in latest aesthetic change
More numbers talk here. Putting assists into perspective, Barrie’s 40-assist seasons equals the sum of Alex Edler (14) and Ben Hutton (24)’s seasons. That’s not considering goals. Barrie had 13 while Edler and Hutton combined for seven, though Edler was injured for 30 games this season.
Barrie’s only getting better. The 24-year-old was a 5.12 shots per 60 in 2013-14, while he put up 4.89 shots per 60 in 2014-15. This past season he took shots at a 5.70 shots per 60 rate. Considering that the past season was the first season that Barrie started more D-zone shifts than O-zone ones, this shows that the man is still improving.
He has always been a positive possession guy; he was always a positive relative Corsi player for the Avalanche, including his rookie season. Perhaps underrated because of his lack of size is how lethal his shot is.
Of course, his wheels and his stick handling skills are among the top in the league amongst defensemen. Many compare him to Kris Letang, Brent Burns, and even Erik Karlsson when discussing what Barrie’s value as a point producer.
Bottomline is this — had Barrie played for the Canucks this season, his offensive numbers would have been the best one aside from the Sedins. He single-handedly solves the blueline’s offensive problems.
Next: AGAINST BARRIE: The Offense is Already Coming