For the past two seasons, the Calgary Flames’ power play has been anything but powerful. To help address that, they’ve made some changes to their coaching staff. But they’ve also made some roster changes to boost the man advantage unit.
Potentially most prominent among those player changes is the signing of veteran blueliner Tyson Barrie, a power play staple in the NHL for most of his career, to a one year deal. Barrie joined the Flames for training camp on a professional try-out agreement, which was officially converted to a standard player contract on Thursday.
“It’s cool to kind of keep the dream alive, keep playing in the National Hockey League,” said Barrie on Friday. “It was my goal to come in and make the team. Nice to see it come to fruition. Now the real work starts.”
Flames head coach Ryan Huska, who coached Barrie when he played with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, noted on Friday after morning skate what Barrie brings to his group.
“I think we all know what Tyson is,” said Huska. “He is a player that’s motivated right now. He feels he has a lot to prove. His strength is the offensive side of the game, for sure. I feel like it gives us another option offensively, on the power play, all that stuff. So, we’re excited to have him.”
Married with two young kids, the stability of an NHL contract is undoubtedly a relief for Barrie, who noted that the Flames reached out earlier during the off-season to offer a PTO but his camp declined in the hopes something else would materialize. When they circled back to the Flames, the PTO offer was still on the table.
But Barrie noted that he was “in one” if his opportunity with the Flames hadn’t panned out, as he didn’t have a Plan B.
“I think there was maybe a few other teams calling, just interested in how it was going,” said Barrie. “There was probably going to be a meeting of the minds there if it went the wrong way. Glad it worked out. Try to make the most of it, see if I can’t stick around a little longer.”
Barrie’s had a heck of a playing career thus far. A veteran of 13 seasons and 809 NHL games who’s amassed over 500 points, Barrie admitted though that some doubt had crept in about whether he would have the chance to keep playing at hockey’s highest level.
“I think even going back to last year, there’s moments where you think, ‘Do you still want it? Do you still want to keep going?'” said Barrie. “I’ve been fortunate to play a long time and have some good contracts. I definitely had to make the conscious decision to put the work in and continue the journey, and I’m really glad I did and glad I’m getting another shot at it here.”
The Flames conclude their exhibition schedule on Friday night against Winnipeg. They begin their 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday in Vancouver against the Canucks.
