Leafs reportedly disrespect Tyson Barrie in early offseason developments

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Leafs reportedly disrespect Tyson Barrie in early offseason developments
Zuma Press

It was an up and down season for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20. 

The young, skilled Maple Leafs came out of the gate pretty sluggish in 2019 and it wasn't until head coach Mike Babcock was shown the door and rookie head coach Sheldon Keefe took over that things seemed to improve. And then COVID-19 hit and everything stopped. Once play resumed and the Leafs found themselves in a position to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs... well we all know what happened next.

One constant for the Leafs this past season though, as depressing as it may seem, was the rather uninspiring play of key offseason acquisition Tyson Barrie. Barrie, of course, was acquired by the Leafs last offseason from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster deal that saw former Leafs fan favourite Nazem Kadri head to the Avs. While Kadri had an excellent first season in Denver, the same can't be said about Barrie in Toronto. In fact, Barrie performed so poorly that he likely will not be retained by the Leafs this offseason. In fact, long-time Edmonton radio host Bob Stauffer reported that Barrie wasn't even offered a season ending exit interview with Leafs management.

Check it out:


 I have to say... that's extremely disrespectful. Even if you have no plans to negotiate a new deal with a player, you still show them the courtesy of an exit interview. Besides, don't you think it could serve your organization to get this guy's thoughts on things as he's heading out the door? With Barrie knowing that there's no future for him in Toronto he's more likely to be brutally honest with the team in his assessment of things. Then again, maybe that's exactly what Leafs management is afraid of? 

In any case, this is just another managerial mist-step from a Leafs team that has had several high-profile missteps under GM Kyle Dubas. While I don't think Dubas is the unqualified doofus that a lot of Leafs fans claim him to be, it's clear that he's in over his head. The Leafs were on the right track when they had Dubas learning from legendary GM Lou Lamoriello, but Dubas' results the past two seasons prove that the Leafs cut bait on Lamoriello just a bit too early.

Source: Bob Stauffer