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Former No. 3 overall pick Barker now trying out for AHL Texas

Cam Barker

Cam Barker -- the guy taken after Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin at the 2004 draft -- was at Texas Stars training camp this past weekend, trying to secure a spot on the AHL club.

How the mighty have fallen.

It wasn’t always this way for the 26-year-old rearguard. The former WHL Medicine Hat standout scored 40 points in 68 games for Chicago during the 2008-09 campaign and parlayed that into a three-year, $9.25 million deal.

But after Chicago traded Barker to Minnesota for Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy, things started to go south.

Injuries and erratic play limited him to just 71 games over two seasons with Minnesota and he was placed on waivers 15 months after being acquired. That didn’t stop Edmonton from rolling the dice, though, as the Oilers gave Barker a one-year, $2.25 million deal in July 2011.

Things with the Oilers went much like they did with the Wild. Described by the Edmonton Journal as injury-riddled and error-prone, Barker only appeared in 23 games and wasn’t given a qualifying offer this past June.

Now, he’s trying to work his way back via a professional tryout offer from Dallas’ minor league affiliate.

While these might seem like tough times for ol’ Cam, don’t shed too many tears. According to the Chicago Tribune, he recently sold his three-bedroom condo for $1.085 million, so he’s probably a ways away from existing solely on ramen noodles.