Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Avs RFA Barrie hopes to build upon strong finish

Colorado Avalanche v San Jose Sharks

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 11: Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on April 11, 2014 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

Getty Images

On paper, the Colorado Avalanche have nine NHL-ready defensemen under contract already. That hurts RFA defenseman Tyson Barrie’s leverage quite a bit, but a strong finish to the 2013-14 season indicates that the Avs should ante up anyway.

After scoring eight points in 25 games from October through December, Barrie really took off once 2014 rolled around. He scored 30 of 38 points from last season once the calendar hit 2014 (and all 13 of his Avalanche defensemen-leading goals happened during that span).

The 2014 postseason seemed like an opportunity for Barrie to gain some mainstream recognition until Matt Cooke intervened, but Barrie told NHL.com that he hopes to only build on that strong finish, even if he lacks a new contract with Colorado as of this writing.

“It’s frustrating, but we’ve got such a good young team here,” Barrie said. “Hopefully I’ll be a part of it for a long time and we can make some noise in the playoffs in the future.”

At 23, it’s hard to deny the likelihood of Barrie making quite a bit more noise himself.

(H/T to The Score.)

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins