Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Barrie has ‘no hard feelings’ toward Avalanche after arbitration, signing

2016 Coors Light Stadium Series - Detroit Red Wings v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 27: Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche tosses the puck as he warms up prior to facing the Colorado Avalanche 2016 Coors Light Stadium Series at Coors Field on February 27, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Some likely believe that agreeing to a four-year contract signals the end of drama between the Colorado Avalanche and Tyson Barrie.

There have been cases in which similar deals represent little more than brief reprieves, however.

Look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf will play out the meat of their latest contracts on other teams, not all that far removed from hashing out agreements with the Leafs.

Barrie buries the hatchet

With that in mind, hurt feelings could still conceivably factor into Barrie’s future with the Avalanche ... but he sounded upbeat about the future while discussing the situation with the Denver Post.

“Looking back now, it was an experience. I feel like I’m a better person for it,” Barrie said. " ... I’m ready to move past this and move on and have a good relationship going forward. There are no hard feelings on my side. I’m looking forward to joining the guys in September.”

In other words, it doesn’t sound like this will become a repeat of the Ryan O’Reilly disaster.

Ball remains in Avs’ court

Granted, the 25-year-old didn’t exactly describe salary arbitration as a breezy, jovial experience. Still, he told the Denver Post that he believes that Colorado won’t hold a grudge, either.

The Avalanche didn’t provide a canned quote praising Barrie in their initial press release on the signing. Perhaps Joe Sakic will share his thoughts during this coming week?

Contract details often trickle in later on in the process, yet it’s interesting that there’s no clarification regarding Barrie receiving a no-trade or no-movement clause. Plenty of players have waived those clauses or provided teams they’d be willing to join in the past, but it would be interesting to see if Barrie received that extra bit of leverage.

(Note: he’d likely only be eligible for a NTC in the last year of his deal, anyway.)
***

For what it’s worth, Barrie told the Denver Post that he realizes that he needs to improve on defense; he wants to “be relied upon to play against the top lines every night.”

As is, Barrie’s already a tough guy to trade. If he can make gains in his own zone, the Avalanche would look downright crazy not to keep him around.