Devils Could Find Potential Fit With Predators' Barrie

The New Jersey Devils are still very much in the playoff race despite underperforming. They have dealt with some injuries that have derailed the start of their season, including an expected regular season-ending injury to Dougie Hamilton, the team's number one $9 million AAV defender.

It is expected that the team puts him on LTIR, opening up that $9 million to add players to make their team even better. The main area that the team is looking at is defense since that is where Hamilton is missing from. The team could use help on the offense and defense, so there are many options.

The Devils lose a lot of offense with Hamilton being out of the lineup, including a defenseman to run the power play. This is where a power-play specialist would come in handy. It just so happens that Tyson Barrie has been in and out of the lineup in Nashville and is looking for a new home. Bruce Garrioch said that the Devils could find a potential fit in Barrie for their back-end. The Predators don't necessarily have to retain any money, but it would fetch them more in return if they did.

Barrie is a more one-dimensional player, but he can produce offensively if given time on the power play and opportunities in the offensive zone. The Predators haven't really given him that chance, but the Devils could. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec have been manning both units, so the team needs some more experience and proven success. With Barrie being a UFA at the end of the season as well, it wouldn't cause the Devils to have to move him after the season.