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Tyson Barrie signs with Edmonton Oilers, but what does this mean for the right side?

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This in from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug: “Can confirm Barrie deal is 3×4.5m per source.”

Update: Ethan Bear, 24,  has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Warren Foegele, a third-line winger.

My take

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1. Would you trade Adam Larsson and Ethan Bear for Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci? I wouldn’t. At the same time, Larsson was free to leave and Oilers GM Ken Holland is trying to make the best of that bad situation.

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2. Larsson is an outstanding shutdown d-man but wasn’t the greatest of attackers. Barrie is an outstanding puck moving d-man who isn’t the greatest of defenders. On the right side, Edmonton now has Barrie and hot shot puck-moving rookie Evan Bouchard, with Bear traded and Cody Ceci rumoured to be on the way here.

3. The Barrie contract isn’t quite the bargain his first deal in Edmonton was. That contract saw him paid $3.9 million for one year as a 29-year old. In the next three years, Barrie will be 30, 31 and 32. Not so old for a d-man who skates as well as Barrie, but old enough to worry he might lose a step to age and injury. Still the term isn’t horrid and the cap hit is reasonable for a d-man who led the league in scoring, even if Barrie did pick up plenty of second assists on plays where he made rote passes.

4. Barrie’s defence? Sigh. He had real struggles last year, especially as the season went on and he constantly got caught out on two-on-one plays, an issue that continued into the playoffs. When Barrie tries to force things on the attack, especially at the offensive blue line, bad things often happen leading to the most dangerous of Grade A chances against.  He made a higher rate of mistakes on Grade A chances against than any other Oilers d-man last year. In the category of “bad mistakes,” issues like bad pinches, turnovers, giving up breakaways and bad line changes, he had the second highest rate on the Oilers defence at even strength, behind only Caleb Jones, who has been traded to Chicago. To put it mildly, Barrie is a high event player.

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5. By way of comparison, at even strength last year Barrie made seven bad pinches that led to Grade A chances against and gave up three breakaway passes as well. Larsson did not make one such bad pinch and allowed just one breakaway.

6. It was unlikely that Barrie would re-sign in Edmonton but the departure of Adam Larsson has changed everything. The Big Swede moving on to Seattle was a massive, huge, gargantuan hit to the Oilers, as Larsson is one of the best shut-down d-men in hockey. The Oilers almost certainly won’t be able to replace him with any one player, but will now attempt to do so by committee, with the Barrie signing being the first signal of what will be attempted. It’s rumoured the Oilers will now sign Cody Ceci, more of a defensive d-man as well.

7. Bear had a strong rookie season, working his way up to play on a top-pairing with Nurse. But he struggled with consistency in his second season. Early in the year, he made far too many defensive mistakes, giving up numerous Grade A chances against. But as the year went along, Bear rediscovered his game. In the playoffs, he again struggled, including making a few key errors in big moments. It was his second iffy playoffs in a row. But he’s a smart, defensively sound young right shot d-man, heading into the prime years of his career. He’s a good bet for the Canes.

8. TSN’s Darren Dreger likes the Oilers defence with Nurse, Barrie, Bouchard, likely Ceci, Duncan Keith, and Kris Russell. “You’ve got a pretty good looking blueline developing for the Edmonton Oilers.”

9. Some fans will compare the loss of players like Caleb Jones and Bear to the Edmonton losing out on Jeff Petry, who was under-rated by Oilers management and foolishly traded away as he entered his prime to the Montreal Canadiens. I don’t see Jones as a great comp for Petry, but Bear hits much closer to the mark. Carolina is getting a solid NHLer who has a decent chance to establish himself as a useful Top 4 d-man. Bear isn’t nearly as big as Petry, and his skating isn’t nearly at the same level as the strong Montreal d-men. But for a young d-man Bear has strong hockey acumen. He’s a smart, crafty player. He’ll be missed here.

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STAPLES: Right-side rearguard Cody Ceci signs four-year deal at $3.25 million

STAPLES: Attacking blueliner Tyson Barrie signs three-year extension at $4.5 million

STAPLES: Leafs fan favourite Zach Hyman signs seven-year pact at $5.5 million

McCURDY: Ethan Bear traded to Carolina for Warren Foegele

STAPLES: “I’m sick to my stomach” — Twitter reacts to Ethan Bear trade

McCURDY: Oilers’ free-agent targets include Barrie, Ceci, more

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