2 Teams Who Could Offer Sheet Justin Barron
The chances are unlikely, but two of these teams may look into an offer sheet.
We are into the middle of July, and the Canadiens still haven't signed their restricted free agents, Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron, to a new contract. The Canadiens' goal is to reach a long-term extension with Kaiden Guhle and set a benchmark for their defensemen, like Nick Suzuki's contract with the forwards. It's a savvy move by Kent Hughes, who knows the salary cap game well after years of being an agent. The only hope for Hughes is that no other teams swoop in and sign one of their restricted free-agent defensemen to an offer sheet. We recently looked at possible offer sheets for Arber Xhekaj, so we'll also take a swing at Barron.
The Canadiens will match any offer that comes their way, but for teams with a lot of cap space, it may be worth it to offer Barron a lot of money and hope the Canadiens balk. There's no guarantee that Barron will be in the lineup next season, so the Canadiens may not want to spend between $2.1 and $4.2 million on a long-term deal for him. The team offering it would only forfeit a second-round pick for that contract.
AAV | Compensation |
---|---|
$1 - $1,415,740 | None |
$1,415,741 - $2,145,061 | 1 3rd-round pick |
$2,145,062 - $4,290,125 | 1 2nd-round pick |
$4,290,126 - $6,435,186 | 1 1st-round pick, 1 3rd-round pick |
$6,435,187 - $8,580,250 | 1 1st-round pick, 1 2nd-round pick, 1 3rd-round pick |
$8,580,251 - $10,725,314 | 2 1st-round picks, 1 2nd-round pick, 1 3rd-round pick |
$10,725,315 or more | 4 1st-round picks |
Let's look at two teams who could offer sheet Justin Barron this offseason.
Detroit Red Wings
The Yzer-Plan hasn't taken into effect as quickly as Steve Yzerman would have liked when he took the Red Wings job. Their top six forwards and a looming trade to supplement that group will be a force in the Atlantic Division. However, their defense core leaves plenty of questions.
Yzerman is currently negotiating a deal with Moritz Seider to be their highest-paid defenseman and the backbone of their blueline. However, until that happens, their highest-paid pair are Justin Holl and Ben Chiarot. The Red Wings traded Jake Walman to clear cap space in hopes of grabbing Jacob Trouba from the Rangers. Trouba used his no-trade clause to stop that deal, as he wanted to stay in New York with his wife and newborn child.
The Red Wings may have to get creative to increase their defense depth, and an offer sheet to Justin Barron would be a cheap way to do it.
Utah Hockey Club
Ryan Smith wants to change his franchise after years of watching the Arizona Coyotes spend to the cap floor. Smith wanted to do anything to make Utah an instant contender, and he showed that by acquiring Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino at the draft.
Utah already has a deep forward group, but defense is where they were lacking. Instead of drafting a defenseman, Utah opted to take Tij Iginla with their sixth-overall selection. The move showed that they will try to upgrade their defense through trades and free agency.
Utah currently has six defensemen on their roster and their depth in the prospect pool may not be ready to make that full-time jump. Barron would be a perfect addition to get more playing time and move out from behind the depth in Montreal.
It's clear that Smith marches to the beat of his own drum and isn't afraid to make savvy business moves. In a league that doesn't like to rock the boat and do offer sheets, expect Smith to try and ruffle some feathers.