Avalanche News
Tyson Barrie Announces Retirement — Played 8 Seasons With Avalanche
Tyson Barrie’s NHL career has officially come to an end.
Coming off his participation in the Avalanche’s Alumni Game, the 34-year-old defenseman announced his retirement from the NHL early Monday morning, ending a 14-year career.
Barrie spent eight years with the Avs after getting drafted by the team in the third round in 2009. The first two seasons he appeared in, both in 2011-12, and in 2013, were spent mostly in the American Hockey League, mixed with a taste of the big club. But in 2013-14, he began a stretch of six seasons as a key piece of Colorado’s blueline. He also saw time in the AHL that season but ended up playing 64 games with Colorado, scoring 13 goals and 38 total points. Barrie was part of the young core that helped the Avalanche qualify for the playoffs.
That was the start of what ended up being the team’s best puck-moving defenseman for a half decade.
READ MORE: Good Vibes and Memorable Moments at the Avalanche’s Alumni Game
Barrie was part of Colorado’s transitional years from a team building its core to the one that eventually got over the hump after his departure. He built great chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon and other young pieces and played well over 21 minutes per game following the 2014 season.
In 2018-19, Barrie tied his career high with 14 goals and had his best season in both assists (45) and points (59). But the arrival of Cale Makar during the playoffs, along with the continued development of Samuel Girard, made him expendable that offseason. The Avs opted to trade him.
READ MORE: UFA Erik Johnson Still Wants to Play in the NHL
They packaged him and Alexander Kerfoot and sent them both to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a six-piece trade that brought Nazem Kadri to Colorado.
Barrie spent just one season with the Leafs before signing with the Edmonton Oilers. In 2022, he was part of the Oilers’ roster that made it to the Western Conference Final and got swept by the Avs. He was later part of a deal that brought Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton.
His career ended with a one-year stint with the Calgary Flames, where he played just 13 games and had three points.
In total, Barrie 110 goals and 508 points in 822 games — most of which came with the Avalanche.
Yeah, Barrie was great, he could do everything except check and play defense. If his mother hadn’t been the scorekeeper his plus/minus should have been a negative three digits.
Yes — imagine what he could have accomplished if only he adopted the gritty style you played in Pee Wees.
It’s crazy how players don’t all get the same treatment. On one hand, there’s Barrie, who was part of the Avalanche’s core and an important piece of the team. On the other hand, there’s Girard, who is supposedly a defensive liability and could be replaced by an AHL player. Both players have roughly the same average ice time per game over their careers, but Barrie played nearly twice as much on the power play compared to Girard. That means Girard was used more at even strength and on the penalty kill than Barrie. Not to mention, Girard has a positive… Read more »
You’re all over the place. Not sure what you’re argument is? Barrie was a much more talented offensive player than Girard. That’s pretty irrefutable. However he was a liability defensively. I don’t think even Girard haters would advocate for Barrie being the more reliable defender.
They really don’t have much in common. Outside of their size & skating ability. Which is why they often get compared to each other.
People need to stop comparing Samuel Girard’s NHL stats to Tyson Barrie’s without context. Girard plays on a team where Cale Makar owns the #1 power-play quarterback role, obviously that limits his offensive opportunities. Barrie, meanwhile, had free rein in that role for years in Toronto, Colorado, etc. But if you look at their junior careers, it’s a whole different story. Girard averaged over a point per game in the QMJHL (192 points in 190 games), was named the league’s top defenseman and the best offensive defenseman in Canada in 2016. Barrie never earned those kinds of honors in the… Read more »
Cool bro. Neither player helped the Avs win a cup.
Oh but of course, how could I forget, 7 playoff games at nearly 18 minutes a night clearly qualifies as “not helping at all.” He was probably just there to decorate the ice, right? Because apparently, playing top-4 minutes in the playoffs is the equivalent of figure skating with zero impact. Let’s also pretend his injury didn’t force the team to completely reorganize the defense… and that Byram didn’t directly inherit his responsibilities. And while we’re at it, let’s forget he played over 60 regular season games that year, stabilizing the blue line for months. But no, of course, the… Read more »
Truth.
This is ridiculous. LOTS of guys kill it statistically in juniors. And then produce a fraction of that in the NHL. So your argument is Girard is just as gifted or more offensively than Barrie. Because he had superior junior numbers & doesn’t get PP1 time? This argument doesn’t hold water. Girard has never cracked 50 pts. Barrie did this numerous times. Girard has had more than 5 goals in a season once. Barrie cracked double digits in goals 6 times. The discrepancy in offensive production can’t all be chalked up to Girard’s lack of power play mins. Lastly lets… Read more »
What you present as a demonstration is, in reality, a juxtaposition of decontextualized statistics and personal interpretations. You claim that “many players excel statistically in junior” as if that automatically invalidates the relevance of Girard’s performance at that level. But just because some players fail to transition successfully to the NHL doesn’t mean all high-performing junior players should be considered overrated. Girard not only dominated in the QMJHL, he also made the jump directly to the NHL at age 19, which in itself speaks volumes about his level. You compare his production to Barrie’s without ever accounting for usage context.… Read more »
You’re talking in circles & around a lot of the arguments I made including referencing concrete statistics. And you just keep wanting to come back to how proficient he was in juniors (which is irrelevant since we’re talking about them as pros). And that he doesn’t get power play time. Which I acknowledged helps with most any players pt totals. And honestly even if Makar wasn’t on the team. Girard STILL wouldn’t be on the top unit. Because Toews is/would be a much better PP QB than Girard too. But I digress… I’m still a firm believer in the eye… Read more »
Unfortunately, hockey decisions aren’t made solely based on the eye test. Even if that’s not your strength, the analytical side can’t simply be ignored. Beyond the case of Girard, you make numerous assumptions that often seem to stem from very little actual reflection. The Landeskog situation is just one example among many. Let me remind you once again: Girard was playing in the NHL at age 19. Just imagine how talented a small-statured “defenseman” has to be to make the NHL at only 19 years old. Girard was named the best offensive defenseman in Canadian junior hockey (and Canada isn’t… Read more »
So, I guess this explains why Barrie was playing in the alumni game – sounds like he had been planning retirement for at least a couple weeks. I have very fond memories of his time with the Avs, and was sad to see him go – though getting Kadri was obviously worth it. I wish him the best in his post-career, and could definitely see him becoming a part of the Avs organization in some way moving forward.
A tip of the cap to Tyson Barrie. Before his time, perhaps, as a smaller, faster, more skilled defenseman, which is more valued in the NHL in 2025. QB’d the PP.
I hated to see him leave, but, in retrospect, it was worth the loss in exchange for Kadri and a Stanley Cup. That does not diminish my appreciation for what Tyson Barrie did while he was here.