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Toronto Maple Leafs: How they can afford to sign Tyson Barrie to a long-term deal

By David Morassutti

Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche advances the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the second period during Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on May 2, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche advances the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the second period during Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on May 2, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Tyson Barrie #4 of the Colorado Avalanche plays the Winnipeg Jets at the Pepsi Center on February 20, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

While it might be too early to consider signing Tyson Barrie to a long-term deal but it is something the Toronto Maple Leafs should consider going into the season.

Getting Tyson Barrie from the Colorado Avalanche allowed the Toronto Maple Leafs to solve one of their biggest needs but when you look beyond this season there are even more question marks.

The team has only one defenceman signed going into 2020-2021 in Morgan Rielly with Travis Dermott also an RFA presenting the team with an opportunity to shape their defence for the future. Some of their notable unrestricted free agents include Jake Muzzin, Cody Ceci and of course Tyson Barrie who were all acquired by Kyle Dubas to be a part of the Leafs overhauled blueline.

Back on July 13, Luke Fox of Sportsnet wrote that Barrie was looking to ake around $8 million on his next deal. While it might be too early to worry about signing a player like Barrie considering he hasn’t played a game for the Leafs, that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a debate about it.

He had 14 goals, 45 assists and 50 points in 78 games with the Avs making it the second-straight season where he had 55+ points. He would also give the Leafs some much-needed assurance on their blueline going forward.

There are several factors which will impact the Leafs ability to sign the 27-year-old and considering the Leafs salary cap structure, they’ll have a couple of options to think about too.

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