Player Discussion Justin Barron

[BLONG7]

Not sure what kind of deal to expect, specially if he doesn't play the NHL again till the end of the season. I have a feeling a summer deal for him would just be a reclamation project for another one. Nothing impressive, some bottom pairing, or plumbing forward type of acquisition. Do we need those?

Seems more likely he'll be at camp and will clear waivers before game 1.

Teams need PMD's who can score. The kid is 22. He was a 1st rounder....
He will have a good NHL career....we do have a ton of kids on D...........likely gets traded.
It's a stay tuned kind of story.

 

[417]

True, he is only 22 but not waiver exempt next season i believe... he's gonna have a hard time cracking this D line up at camp so we might lose him for nothing

Hughes isnt the type to lose players for nothing, Lindstrom waiver claim notwithstanding.

We've gone the entire season with 3 goalies because he didn't want to lose Primeau on waivers.

 

[Runner77]

Teams need PMD's who can score. The kid is 22. He was a 1st rounder....
He will have a good NHL career....we do have a ton of kids on D...........likely gets traded.
It's a stay tuned kind of story.

We have others and if he doesn’t improve considerably, he’ll soon be sliding down the rung of the org’s RHD prospects.

There must be some team starved for RHDs or maybe he can join his brother in the Peg.

 

[The Great Weal]

Hughes isnt the type to lose players for nothing, Lindstrom waiver claim notwithstanding.

We've gone the entire season with 3 goalies because he didn't want to lose Primeau on waivers.

Sure, but also Hughes is stuck with that awful Allen contract. He absolutely would have given Primeau the chance if we could get rid of Allen without retaining/adding to him. There's also nobody else to be a good enough backup for now too.

Don't think it's the same with Barron as we already have a ton of dmen and more will be on the way. Guhle/Matheson/Savard/Xhekaj/Harris/Struble/Kovacevic then Hutson/Reinbacher/Mailloux will each get their looks. Of course, some might get traded, injured, and/or spend time in Laval, but that's still a lot of players. Barron would have to play lights out with ver limited opportunities.

 

[Walksss]

The idea of losing Barron to waivers is horrific asset management. I'm finally excited about the rebuild and not because we're losing young former first rounders for absolutely nothing, thats the opposite of what we need. Even if Barron doesn't pan out as a top 4 guy that is simply ridiculously bad management, he has a lot more value than waiver fodder like come on guys. If a GM just waived him that's borderline fire-worthy, find a different solution.

Thank god we finally have a competent, intelligent and most importantly patient management team running things. The thought of having most of you impatient crazy people in charge of any real decisions around the organization is nightmare inducing, for real. You guys make Bergevin seem like Pollock.

 

[eklund the clown]

The idea of losing Barron to waivers is horrific asset management. I'm finally excited about the rebuild and not because we're losing young former first rounders for absolutely nothing, thats the opposite of what we need. Even if Barron doesn't pan out as a top 4 guy that is simply ridiculously bad management, he has a lot more value than waiver fodder like come on guys. If a GM just waived him that's borderline fire-worthy, find a different solution.

Thank god we finally have a competent, intelligent and most importantly patient management team running things. The thought of having most of you impatient crazy people in charge of any real decisions around the organization is nightmare inducing, for real. You guys make Bergevin seem like Pollock.

 

[Walksss]

You know what.. maybe you're right. Thanks for your input Marc, I stand corrected.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

This dude sucks, trade him to a team that overvalues RHD as much as we do

 

[OldCraig71]

We should have kept Lehkonen.

 

[Tyson]

We should have kept Lehkonen.

Hindsight is 20/20 but most fans on this site were too happy to see him go. He was an upcoming RFA and would have needed a raise for sure. Not all trades work out

 

[Miller Time]

Hindsight is 20/20 but most fans on this site were too happy to see him go. He was an upcoming RFA and would have needed a raise for sure. Not all trades work out

That, and it's premature for ppl to be writing off Barron.

 

[Canadienna]

He feels like the kind of guy we will inevitably lose to waivers or for a late pick and then at like 28 years old he will realize he's a big guy who skates fast and slot right into some other team's top4.

 

[Andrei79]

Hindsight is 20/20 but most fans on this site were too happy to see him go. He was an upcoming RFA and would have needed a raise for sure. Not all trades work out

I thought the deal made sense at the time. Both the Lehkonen and Toffoli trades likely helped get Slafkovski, so it wasn't only about getting futures, but also helping get the highest pick possible.

That being said, I don't miss Toffoli, but I do miss what Lehkonen brought. If it weren't for Gallagher and Anderson, maybe he's still on the roster. Barron had encouraging ups, but his lows have been brutal to watch.

 

[Walksss]

He feels like the kind of guy we will inevitably lose to waivers or for a late pick and then at like 28 years old he will realize he's a big guy who skates fast and slot right into some other team's top4.

That's exactly how I feel too, I just think that it happens before 28. Once he gets his physical confidence he'll be much better I'm sure.

I also think HuGo is smart enough to realize that and will give him ample opportunity to find that growth.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

That's exactly how I feel too, I just think that it happens before 28. Once he gets his physical confidence he'll be much better I'm sure.

I also think HuGo is smart enough to realize that and will give him ample opportunity to find that growth.

With Reinbacher, Mailloux and Engstrom potentially arriving within a relatively short window I am not sure that Hughes will have the luxury of being much more patient with Barron. I do agree that it isn't difficult to project him putting it all together some time in the future.

 

[417]

Sure, but also Hughes is stuck with that awful Allen contract. He absolutely would have given Primeau the chance if we could get rid of Allen without retaining/adding to him. There's also nobody else to be a good enough backup for now too.

Agreed but Barron's contract isn't going to be problematic, they'd keep him as the #7D rather than lose him on waivers.

There's really no urgency here IMO, he's still got time.

Don't think it's the same with Barron as we already have a ton of dmen and more will be on the way. Guhle/Matheson/Savard/Xhekaj/Harris/Struble/Kovacevic then Hutson/Reinbacher/Mailloux will each get their looks. Of course, some might get traded, injured, and/or spend time in Laval, but that's still a lot of players. Barron would have to play lights out with ver limited opportunities.

I don't disagree, but they're all going to have to step up...that's the beauty of having a lot of depth there.

Other than Guhle/Matheson/Savard...none of the other players are guaranteed a spot in Montreal, they might trade bait, they might need more time in Laval.

Barron's situation isn't any different than the others IMO.

 

[Egresch]

With Reinbacher, Mailloux and Engstrom potentially arriving within a relatively short window I am not sure that Hughes will have the luxury of being much more patient with Barron. I do agree that it isn't difficult to project him putting it all together some time in the future.

It seems to me that he is slow starter. People expect him to make 1st team, but he starts slow and disappoints in the camp. This year is not good for him, but I think people were a bit harsh on him. He does not have a benefit of our young LHDs. Everytime some young LHD struggles, they pair him with Savard. The only vet LD is Matheson and we can agree their playing styles are not very compatible. I also saw couple times when our Fs did not cover their man, but it looked like Barron is out of place.
Plus that strange comment from JF Houle when he praised how much better is Xhekaj comparing to Barron. I am sure Barron is totally demotivated in Laval now.
I agree he needs couple more season and he will establish himself as good NHLer. I would prefer to trade Kovacevic and give one more chance to Barron. But if we pack him in a trade for elite forward, I would be OK as well.

 

[MasterMatt25]

Trading Lehkonen was the right move. He would not be anywhere as productive as he is now with us. Barron has good metrics and analytics in the NHL already. He's still putting his game together. Watch and see in the coming years he will be solid top 4 dman

 

[ScaryCarey31]

I think this guy is topped out in regards to what he can bring in skill and physicality. 4th year pro and hasnt really made any leaps and bounds. His offensive game would be a welcome addition if he wasnt so bad defensively. 237 pro games, 87 in the nhl and still cant beat out the likes of xhekaj, harris and guhle. I honestly wouldnt be mad if he got dealt, was worth a shot acquiring him considering the habs are rebuilding but with a bunch more defense prospects entering the fold he is going to slide down the depth chart very quickly.

 

[yianik]

Guys have their ups and downs, moving a guy on a " down" might not be the best move. What would we get for him ? Not much.

I rather keep him, let him fight it out at Camp. If he does not make the cut, then still bring him up as the 7th D and then move him for whatever we can get. And if its nothing it's nothing. I still think it's best to keep him until we can't.

With Barron it's all mental. I think if things are going well he rides that wave, but if things go sideways he just crumbles. He has the summer to figure it out Mailloux, Hutson and Reinbacher can all stay with Laval technically.

 

[Tyson]

Guys have their ups and downs, moving a guy on a " down" might not be the best move. What would we get for him ? Not much.

I rather keep him, let him fight it out at Camp. If he does not make the cut, then still bring him up as the 7th D and then move him for whatever we can get. And if its nothing it's nothing. I still think it's best to keep him until we can't.

With Barron it's all mental. I think if things are going well he rides that wave, but if things go sideways he just crumbles. He has the summer to figure it out Mailloux, Hutson and Reinbacher can all stay with Laval technically.

I am not ready to write him off but he really needs to elevate his game another notch down the stretch especially defensively.

 

[BLNY]

He reminds me a bit too much of Brisebois - with a better shot. Once out of his own end, he's good with the puck and confident. In his own end, he's a bit of a nightmare. I hope he can figure out it, because there's good offensive skills there.

 

[Runner77]

I am not ready to write him off but he really needs to elevate his game another notch down the stretch especially defensively.

If he doesn’t find his game, it’s going to turn into another Primeau situation. I’d hate to see him make the Habs only because he’s no longer waiver-exempt next season.

 

[Tyson]

If he doesn’t find his game, it’s going to turn into another Primeau situation. I’d hate to see him make the Habs only because he’s no longer waiver-exempt next season.

Too many D are pushing the envelope, I expect one or two young D packaged this summer. Pipeline of young, promising D has never been this full.

 

[Weltschmerz]

If he doesn’t find his game, it’s going to turn into another Primeau situation. I’d hate to see him make the Habs only because he’s no longer waiver-exempt next season.

Would not help him either to sit in the box, maybe they try to sneak him through at the start of the season, when everyone has a full roster and many players hit waivers at the same time.