Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron clearly wasn’t working out after almost three years in the organization. So, in some respects, it’s almost a miracle the Habs were able to get as significant a haul as Alexandre Carrier, a much needed defensively aware presence to replace him on the right side on defense.
While Carrier is 5-foot-11 (174 pounds), he actually seems like the logical heir to pending-unrestricted free agent David Savard (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) on that right side. Granted, Carrier owns a different tool kit as a player who’s less physically imposing and much more mobile. However, that mobility, combined with a sense of defensive responsibility is much more in line with general manager Kent Hughes’ original vision for an “offensive-minded hockey club” that is defensively responsible.
It’s worth noting, Hughes inherited the contract of Savard, who had been one of ex-GM Marc Bergevin’s last signings. So, safely assuming the Canadiens choose not to re-sign a 34-year-old stay-at-home defenseman with poor analytics, albeit one with Stanley Cup experience who has developed into a modest fan favourite through his ability and willingness to block shots, this is in a way Hughes’ way of continuing to shape the team in his vision, as opposed to simply trading away a player who has been unable to consistently get in the lineup, also as a right-handed defenseman.
There’s no avoiding the regrettable fact Barron was one of Hughes’ first acquisitions, as part of what had initially been seen as a worthwhile trade. He simply hasn’t put it together though, with a single goal in 17 games this season, despite being an offensive defenseman. While Artturi Lehkonen, the centrepiece of the trade going back the other way to the Colorado Avalanche at the 2022 trade deadline, has emerged as an incredibly productive top-six forward, in a roundabout way the deal can still become a huge success for the Canadiens. The second-round pick the Habs also got was included in the trade to acquire the pick used to select Michael Hage at No. 21 overall last summer.
Related: Canadiens GM Hughes Delivers 2022 Trade Deadline Master Class
Even so, there are no guarantees Hage pans out, looking at Barron, a former-first round pick himself (No. 25 in 2020). Still just 23, Barron can turn it around. It obviously won’t be with the Canadiens. However, there is nevertheless undeniable, untapped potential there, with seven goals scored last season in just 48 games, good for second among all Habs defensemen (Mike Matheson). Overall, he’s scored 31 points in 109 games played with the team. To his credit, Carrier isn’t far behind. A 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 115), he’s scored 69 points in 245 career games, all with the Predators.
Carrier may not have the same goal-scoring prowess or potential. However, for Hughes to get a player with more defensive awareness but similar overall offensive output on a reasonable just-signed three-year $11.25 million deal ($3.75 million cap hit) is a pretty big coup. Granted, Carrier has been injured with an upper-body injury since earlier this month, but is reportedly cleared to play. So, there is no real downside other than having to give up some youth in the form of a player with potential. While that in effect translates to the Canadiens giving up on a(nother) player, circumstances are slightly different than they are with, for example, goalie Cayden Primeau.
The Canadiens only logically kept Barron out of training camp because he was no longer exempt from waivers. So, rather than risk losing him for nothing, they obviously opted to try and make it work, despite all signs pointing to him needing more seasoning. However, due to a log jam on defense, which doesn’t really exist in net, Barron’s place in the organization was on shaky ground, especially with a similar offensively capable (but defensively lax) defenseman player in Logan Mailloux set to climb the ranks on the same right side. So, as disappointing as Barron’s tenure with the Habs has turned out, they are an undeniably better team now, especially with a player they can theoretically trust in all situations.
Barron undeniably has huge potential. Carrier may have reached his relatively modest ceiling already at Age 28, but an everyday defenseman in exchange for one who wasn’t, at least not with the Habs, is a huge get.
It’s conceivable Barron finds his form with a change in scenery and in a few seasons fans lament his success just like they have with Lehkonen. The fact remains, Barron, like Lehkonen as a winger on a team rife with talent at the same position, wasn’t realistically going to get that chance with the Canadiens.
Fair or not, that’s the situation. And with Mailloux coming up eventually in theory and Lane Hutson having already emerged on the opposite side as an offensive threat, Barron was the justifiable odd man out, especially as he wasn’t getting in the lineup much to start. Even if only in that one way, Carrier is more an upgrade than a replacement. There’s obviously more than one way, though.
To summarize: The Canadiens were justified to trade for Barron in the first place, especially knowing what they knew then. They were justified to keep Barron out of training camp, especially out of fear of losing him for nothing. And, regardless of how Barron develops from here on out, they were justified to get Carrier in exchange, especially in that context. There should be no doubt.
