Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tyson Barrie was happy to play in Toronto, but his start with the organization was rather fascinating.
The 34-year-old retired NHL defender appeared on the Empty Netters Podcast with Dan and Chris Powers this week. Among the topics discussed was his trade to the Maple Leafs from the Colorado Avalanche, where he had spent his entire NHL career beforehand.
Barrie, along with forward Alex Kerfoot and a 2020 sixth-round pick, was sent to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen, and a 2020 third-round pick on July 1, 2019.
"It was my first time being traded, too, so that comes with kind of its own emotions and stuff," he said.
"I got traded for (Kadri), who was a big part of that team. I know he'd taken some belligerent suspensions in the playoffs, but like, he was pretty beloved by the city. So there was some pressure that came with that."
Barrie then revealed one of the first messages former Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock had for him in Toronto.
"I won't speak too much on it, but I think one of the first things (Babcock) said to me, he says to me, 'You know, I wouldn't have made the trade, Naz is a big part of the team,'" Barrie laughed. "And I was like, 'Oh, okay, sick. This is going to go well.' It was an interesting start.
"And then, I've always thought, like, you look around the league and any time a team trades for a guy who kind of does the same role as another guy, a power play quarterback is one of those roles where you kind of only need one. So I got traded and Morgan Rielly was there and he was having great years, and he was running the power play, and I was kind of like, 'Okay, where am I going to fit in here?'"
Babcock's warm welcome pic.twitter.com/RYSY1lgiRA
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Barrie spent just one season with the Maple Leafs, scoring five goals and 39 points in 70 games. The defender got off to a slow start under Babcock, tallying only five assists in his first 22 games before the head coach was fired.
Once Sheldon Keefe came in, Barrie's game got back to where it was with the Avalanche many years prior. Barrie scored five goals and 32 points in the final 47 games of the season under Keefe, who had him averaging 22:02 of ice time per game.
Barrie left the Maple Leafs in the following offseason and joined the Edmonton Oilers on a one-year, $3.75 million contract. After re-signing and spending two seasons in Edmonton, Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a first and a fourth-round pick, was traded to the Nashville Predators for Mattias Ekholm.
Barrie played two seasons in Nashville (appearing in only 65 games) before signing a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Calgary Flames on Oct. 3, 2024. He split the season between the Flames and their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, before officially retiring this past August.
The Victoria, British Columbia native finished his NHL career with 508 points (110 goals, 398 assists) in 822 games.
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