Barrie hoping to turn back the clock in Calgary
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Blueliner Tyson Barrie is hoping to turn back the clock at Calgary Flames training camp.
The 33-year-old defenceman with 809 games of NHL experience will attend camp on a professional tryout. The veteran admitted he was surprised he didn’t receive any offers over the summer after notching 15 points in 41 games last season with the Nashville Predators.
Calgary offers Barrie a chance to reunite with his junior coach, Ryan Huska. The two were together with the Kelowna Rockets for four seasons and won a Western Hockey League title in 2009.
“They know what I’m capable of…it’s fun. It’s almost like turning back the clock a little bit,” Barrie said Wednesday after an informal skate at WinSport Arena in Calgary ahead of the official open of Flames camp on Thursday.
“I feel like I’m 19 years old trying to make the league for the first time. It’s a different perspective. Obviously not the position I was hoping to be in, but it is what it is, and [I’ll] just make the most of it.”
Barrie was hoping more of a market would materialize for him in the summer.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated at times,” he said. “It’s the best league in the world and it’s tough to stay in. That’s part of the journey. I’m grateful this shook out for me, and I was able to get an opportunity here in Calgary.”
Barrie said that Huska has told him that if he plays his game there is a real chance he’ll earn a contract with the Flames.
“He said, ‘Just come and do what you do,’” Barrie said. “‘You'll get your opportunity and run with it.’”
The Victoria, B.C., native carved out a career with the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and the Predators as an offence-first blueliner. He notched a career-best 59 points with the Avs in the 2018-19 campaign. Since the 2013-14 campaign, he is seventh among all NHL blueliners in points and ninth in power-play points.
The Flames’ power play ranked 24th in the league over the past two seasons, and the roster currently lacks a natural power-play quarterback. While MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson have filled in admirably in the past and Daniil Miromanov has shown potential, there’s a clear need for someone with Barrie’s skill set as a puck distributor.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy has said that while the team has a roster in transition, he’s hesitant to put younger players in situations they may not be prepared to handle. Barrie, should he earn a contract, would buy the Flames time as their younger blueliners develop.
“High-character, quality person, over 500 points in the NHL,” Conroy said of Barrie at the team’s golf tournament last week. “I’ve heard nothing but great things.”
Given the expected growing pains ahead, the organization is hoping veterans like Barrie can keep spirits up when things get tough.
“I tend to approach everything with a sense of humour, and I've always embraced the lighter side of the game,” he said. “If there's young guys on this team, just show them what it's like to be a pro but also have fun with it…I'm a vocal guy. I'm a fun guy.”
Last season was tough on Barrie. He was a frequent healthy scratch in Nashville and had permission to seek a trade, but ultimately remained with the club and even suited up for a playoff game.
He politely declined Wednesday to say what went wrong.
“It's water under the bridge,” he said. “It's behind me now. Onwards and upwards, looking forward. It was a great group of guys in Nashville, and just for whatever reason, wasn't a good fit. So, hopefully [I’m] finding a better fit elsewhere.”
Barrie will get a real chance to extend his career in Calgary. He’ll also use the lessons he learned from a tough summer on the free-agent market as motivation to get to his goal of 1,000 NHL games played.
“You just can't take anything for granted,” he said. “It's the best league in the world. There are new people coming up every year to try and take your spot…it's a bit of a refresher, bit of a wakeup call. If you want to stay in the league, you’ve got to do everything you can to stick around. It was a refreshed approach to training this summer and some motivation that maybe I haven't had in the past couple years.”