It is no coincidence that one of Sheldon Keefe’s first acts after replacing Babcock on Nov. 20 was moving Barrie up to PP1 and, with the weight of the world shifted from the player’s shoulders, saw him immediately respond with goals in consecutive games.
Looking back, the 28-year-old is proud that he resisted any instinct to change how he plays during that rocky start. Water eventually started to find its level and Barrie had 39 points through 70 games when the season was paused — behind the pace of his previous two seasons, but still good for 22nd among all NHL defencemen after the worst two-month start of his career.
“I’m not sure I ever gave enough credit to guys who get traded and have to kind of change their whole lives and move and come into a new team and fit in right away,” said Barrie. “I think it’s a little tougher than I gave credit for. I’m glad I’ve had the experience to see that first-hand.” The entire sport remains in limbo because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Barrie seems eager to finish what he started in Toronto. He concedes that the playoff formats being discussed aren’t “ideal” and is trying to approach the possibility of going inside a bubble in a hub city the same way he would when he’s represented Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Europe.
“I think in a time like this how could anything be super traditional?” said Barrie. “I think the integrity will be there because it’s still going to be the best players in the world playing against each other for the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. It will certainly be weird without fans, or whatever the scenario unfolds to be, but I think we all have to adapt and be willing to adapt and kind of realize that it’s not going to be this perfect, classic NHL playoffs.