Just when you thought the St. Louis Blues were safely out of the rumor mill regarding blueliners, they happen to re-enter it, this time with Tyson Barrie. While Jim Parsons of The Hockey Writers mentioned the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins as a pair of teams likely to sign Barrie as a seventh defenseman, he also implied the Blues could snag him “as a potential replacement for Torey Krug.”
Seriously, can we stop this? General manager Doug Armstrong already brought in Ryan Suter, who not only could adequately replace Krug, but there’s an even better chance he’s in the final season of his long career.
But Barrie is not Suter, something he’s proven time and again already. That said, it’s not why signing him to a contract would be more than shortsighted if Armstrong decided to go in that direction. The Blues are supposed to be in the middle of a roster retool, and with a few young defensemen raring to go with the big club, signing Barrie would make zero sense.
St. Louis Blues need to start getting younger on the blue line, not older
If Torey Krug is indeed out for a while, it should be looked at as an opportunity to play a youngster more often. Someone like Scott Perunovich, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Matthew Kessel will help take this team further long-term than Barrie ever would.
Should the Blues sign Barrie, they would have Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk, and Ryan Suter already in the rotation, meaning five out of seven blueliners projected to make the big club on opening night would be 31 or older. Instead, it’s better for this team to roll with the players they have now.
It’s not like the Blues have much of a chance to make the playoffs this season, and even if they did, signing Barrie wouldn’t give them much help. The 2024-25 season needs to ultimately be about getting younger, and if Doug Armstrong brought in Tyson Barrie, the Blues would once again find themselves another step away from achieving that goal.