Player Discussion Justin Barron

[Sorinth]

Barron is in the Petry and Matheson mold of a D with size, skating, offensive ability, but needs time and the right environment/opportunity to put it together. Petry broke out at 30, Matheson at 28ish, we can hope for better but the realistically we should expect 5-6 years of ups and downs with Barron.

So the real question is can we deal with those 5+ years of learning/growth in order to see him reach his potential as a #2-3 type of D? I do expect that he will have a pretty good NHL career when all is said and done, but whether it's with us or some other team is probably dependent on how quickly Mailloux and Reinbacher can start having an impact.

 

[The Last Red]

Barron is in the Petry and Matheson mold of a D with size, skating, offensive ability, but needs time and the right environment/opportunity to put it together. Petry broke out at 30, Matheson at 28ish, we can hope for better but the realistically we should expect 5-6 years of ups and downs with Barron.

So the real question is can we deal with those 5+ years of learning/growth in order to see him reach his potential as a #2-3 type of D? I do expect that he will have a pretty good NHL career when all is said and done, but whether it's with us or some other team is probably dependent on how quickly Mailloux and Reinbacher can start having an impact.

No, we shouldn’t wait 5-6 years to develop a mid/lower pairing d-man if we can find better elsewhere sooner.

 

[HuGort]

I wish Barron could get some reps on the 2nd PP unit. This is where his skills would really shine and accentuate his potential.

Yup, he has decent shot, hands.

 

[Egresch]

Barron is in the Petry and Matheson mold of a D with size, skating, offensive ability, but needs time and the right environment/opportunity to put it together. Petry broke out at 30, Matheson at 28ish, we can hope for better but the realistically we should expect 5-6 years of ups and downs with Barron.

So the real question is can we deal with those 5+ years of learning/growth in order to see him reach his potential as a #2-3 type of D? I do expect that he will have a pretty good NHL career when all is said and done, but whether it's with us or some other team is probably dependent on how quickly Mailloux and Reinbacher can start having an impact.

I totally agree with Matheson comparison and all the rest. Barron will be a very good NHLer, but I do not think it will be with Habs. Both Mailloux and Reinbacher have more upside plus we still have Guhle or Engstrom who can both play right side. It looks like Savard is finished, he is 34 and not in a good shape. I would really prefer to have some vet presence on right side as well. Trade Barron + for Erik Cernak might be an interesting option for both sides. Cernak would bring Stanley cup champ experience and he would fit perfectly next to Hutson.

 

[WeThreeKings]

We're allow to call a Montreal roster players "Dipshit" here??

Yep, we can beat our own players to death but don't you dare say a slightly controversial thing about a prospect we didn't pick.

 

[Canadiens98]

I actually haven't had a problem with Barron so far this season and can already see he's taken (albeit not huge) a step forward. He hasn't even played 100 games in the NHL yet despite this being year 4 (technically). It's a shame we don't have a veteran to partner him as I feel that's played a part in why we've seen some of the others progress at a quicker rate - But if we're honest he's been getting better with each passing season.


My only critique so far is that there've been a few instances already where he hasn't been able to settle/keep the puck in the offensive zone. Considering he has pretty good hands I think this is due to nerves more than ability. Some dmen need more games to truly feel comfortable out there, especially when they aren't playing beside a vet.

 

[HuGort]

Kovacevic is guy they should have kept. He'd pretty good in front of net taking away the east-west pass. Most goals usually come off easy west passes or rushes. Barron probably returned more alao

 

[zzoo]

Currently, Barron is our weakest link, even worse than Xhekaj, Dvorak or Gallagher. Hopefully he'll get better.

 

[Tyson]

Currently, Barron is our weakest link, even worse than Xhekaj, Dvorak or Gallagher. Hopefully he'll get better.

Yes but my boy Xhekaj needs to up his game soon.

 

[LaP]

Currently, Barron is our weakest link, even worse than Xhekaj, Dvorak or Gallagher. Hopefully he'll get better.

If we talk about currently as like right f**** now the weakest link has been Savard. He's been our worst player since the beginning of the season. Gallagehr is actually playing very well.

 

[Egresch]

Currently, Barron is our weakest link, even worse than Xhekaj, Dvorak or Gallagher. Hopefully he'll get better.

Physicality is the X factor for Arbet. The fact that Barron has 2 more hits speaks itself. Barron is not the weakest, actually both Xhekaj and Savard were worse.

 

[LaP]

Kovacevic is guy they should have kept. He'd pretty good in front of net taking away the east-west pass. Most goals usually come off easy west passes or rushes. Barron probably returned more alao

What matters is not how much they are worth now but how much they are worth when Mailloux and Reinbacher will be ready. Kovacevic is unlikely to be worth much more in 2 years. Barron could. Unless Kovacevic is the next Souray the right decision was taken. Barron was not worth that much as a prospect since he was taklen at the end of the first round. If you give him the chance and he develops a bit then he's worth more. It's crazy the hot takes on Kovacevic i'm still mind blown by them, Nobody is talking about Mark Kastelic for a good reason. We've seen this story time and time again a depth guy having a hot start for 20 to 40 games and then reverting back to his old self. I'm really f*** mind blown by the whole situation.

 

[417]

Barron is in the Petry and Matheson mold of a D with size, skating, offensive ability, but needs time and the right environment/opportunity to put it together. Petry broke out at 30, Matheson at 28ish, we can hope for better but the realistically we should expect 5-6 years of ups and downs with Barron.

So the real question is can we deal with those 5+ years of learning/growth in order to see him reach his potential as a #2-3 type of D? I do expect that he will have a pretty good NHL career when all is said and done, but whether it's with us or some other team is probably dependent on how quickly Mailloux and Reinbacher can start having an impact.

Habs fans can't even deal with 5 or 6 periods...forget about years man lol

He was an RFA. Let’s not pretend like cap space was impossible to come by. This is the same team that dressed Pearson instead of waiving him like Armia

The Habs weren't going to pay him what he signed for in Colorado...that's why they traded him.

Otherwise they would have kept Lehkonen, they didn't even really want to trade him.

 

[417]

I dont know guys, I just watched the game and Barron was 2nd best D behind Guhle. He laid 3 big hit that sparked the team in 1st period. Savard was horrible, Hutson naive.

When you watch games without the bias of waiting for a player to make a mistake so you can take a dump on him, you can actually notice what's really happening on the ice.

Not referring to you doing this btw...more of a general statement.

 

[BLONG7]

If we talk about currently as like right f**** now the weakest link has been Savard. He's been our worst player since the beginning of the season. Gallagehr is actually playing very well.

Agreed............Savvy has been the weakest link.
That said, Barron has been pretty solid, on the PK especially and has been physical ( loved the hit on Eller ) By no means is the kid a finished product......

I do think though .like others have mentioned his days could be numbered, with a couple of the kids potentially pushing him out.....or maybe Savvy could be the odd man out?

 

[Sorinth]

Habs fans can't even deal with 5 or 6 periods...forget about years man lol

Frankly I could care less about what fans can accept/deal with it's more a question of what management's plan is or should be and there's no reason to lower a discussion to the lowest fan pov level.

If the idea is to get a veteran RD and expectations are that Reinbacher quickly becomes a defensively responsible top-4 guy then really the only spot open is the bottom pairing RD. Which on the plus side means we can be patient with a guy who will need years of experience to reach their potential, but on the down side the choice between giving that spot to Mailloux or Barron is less about highest potential but more about who is responsible defensively faster. The offensive ceiling just won't be all that important unless that offence is coming at 5 on 5 play.

I totally agree with Matheson comparison and all the rest. Barron will be a very good NHLer, but I do not think it will be with Habs. Both Mailloux and Reinbacher have more upside plus we still have Guhle or Engstrom who can both play right side. It looks like Savard is finished, he is 34 and not in a good shape. I would really prefer to have some vet presence on right side as well. Trade Barron + for Erik Cernak might be an interesting option for both sides. Cernak would bring Stanley cup champ experience and he would fit perfectly next to Hutson.

I kind of doubt Tampa would consider a Cernak for Barron+ type of deal. They are not looking to rebuild so I don't see it being any kind of fit for them.

I do expect Reinbacher to quickly surpass Barron, but for Mailloux, he's kind of in the same mold in that he's a big mobile offensive D man who needs lots of work on his D game. So like the original Matheson/Petry comparisons, Mailloux like Barron is another guy who probably only reaches his potential in his late 20s, often after getting traded.

 

[morhilane]

Agreed............Savvy has been the weakest link.
That said, Barron has been pretty solid, on the PK especially and has been physical ( loved the hit on Eller ) By no means is the kid a finished product......

I do think though .like others have mentioned his days could be numbered, with a couple of the kids potentially pushing him out.....or maybe Savvy could be the odd man out?

Savard is UFA at the end of the season, I was for keeping him, but if he continue playing like he's been doing, pass. So there is a spot open next year at RHD with Guhle and Barron playing the side. The last slot will be taken by a rookie again, so Barron is better off focusing on his defense this year, it's going to be needed.

 

[417]

Frankly I could care less about what fans can accept/deal with it's more a question of what management's plan is or should be and there's no reason to lower a discussion to the lowest fan pov level. I

I could care less too, but when you wrote your post you said "we" I assumed you were referring to fans patience.

You're right and I agree, it doesn't matter...it's about what management sees and i'm not convinced they see Barron in the same light as many fans do.

Also, for argument's sake, it's not just the lowest fan POV, it's a recurring narrative amongst several respected media members who cover the team and like it or not, influence people's perceptions.

If the idea is to get a veteran RD and expectations are that Reinbacher quickly becomes a defensively responsible top-4 guy then really the only spot open is the bottom pairing RD. Which on the plus side means we can be patient with a guy who will need years of experience to reach their potential, but on the down side the choice between giving that spot to Mailloux or Barron is less about highest potential but more about who is responsible defensively faster. The offensive ceiling just won't be all that important unless that offence is coming at 5 on 5 play.

Agreed

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Barron has made improvements and I feel like some of the errors he's made are stuff that can get ironed out by playing more.

Two of our better D in the past couple of decades in Petry and Matheson took time to develop, so no reason to write a 22 year old in Barron off anytime soon.. especially with the state of our RHD.