Tyson Barrie Could Be Predators' Trade Candidate Regardless Of Position In Standings

The Nashville Predators made some very good moves last season when they were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They sold what they could and recouped a ton of assets in the process. One of the pieces they got back from the Edmonton Oilers was Tyson Barrie, who has one more year left on his contract. He helped out the power play and added some scoring, but might not be with the Predators all season long this year.

Shayna Goldman of The Athletic suggested that the Predators might see Barrie as a defenseman on the outside looking in on the team and move him if they are in a playoff spot and looking to add help. The Predators will surely need to bolster their forward group, and moving Barrie, who is part of a strong seven-man defensive unit on the Predators, would free up $4.5 million. He might already be competing for some playing time throughout this season with young players like Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, and Jeremy Lauzon fighting for playing time.

It makes sense for a defensively-minded team to feel like Barrie isn't adding enough in his own end, and that was the reason he was moved from the Oilers. Barrie still holds value, and it will be interesting if a trade mid-season comes to pass. He can put up 40 points and some teams need the scoring from their back-end, but not particularly the Predators.