REPORT: The Colorado Avalanche have Tyson Barrie on the trade block

As we draw close to the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, we are starting to here a lot of trade rumors and speculation. Some big names are said to be on the trade block - Paul Stastny, Max Pacioretty and Nikolaj Ehlers to name a few. Now we can add Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Tyson Barrie to the list.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk (off the record) around NHL circles that Joe Sakic has been doing his due diligence when it comes to how other teams value Barrie. Now more specific reports are being made public.

Barrie is set to become a free agent at the end of next season and with the emergence of Cale Makar and Samuel Girard, the veteran defender is the most logical trade chip in Sakic’s pursuit of a top-six forward. All things being equal, the Avalanche would likely prefer to sign the 27-year-old to a long term extension, but with expansion draft ramifications and massive holes in the forward group, shopping Barrie makes sense.

As one of the best puck-moving defenders in the NHL, Barrie is an integral part to the success the Avalanche have had producing goals over the past two seasons. A move would put a lot of pressure on Makar to fill some big shoes during his rookie season.

With 116 points over the last two seasons, Barrie is one of the premier offensive defenders in the game in the prime of his career. There are likely a number of teams looking to add him to the lineup.

Apparently, the Vancouver Canucks are one team with interest in Barrie. If true, Bo Horvat would be the perfect fit as the 2C behind Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado.

Any team that trades for Barrie will likely be looking to talk about a contract extension before the deal is done. With Erik Karlsson’s new eight-year, $92 million deal on the books, it wouldn’t be surprising if Barrie were looking for something with an AAV of in the eight figure range.

If nothing else, this adds a little more excitement to draft weekend.