If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to shore up their defense, they could always give a call to an old member of the Blue and White.
Coming off a year impacted by injuries, former Maple Leaf Tyson Barrie is looking to rebound and prove he can still hang in the NHL. Having only 15 points last season, he's a far cry from the offensive sparkplug he used to be in Colorado where he averaged over 9 goals and 38 points over eight seasons with the Avalanche.
But could a reunion with the club cause too much backlash? When Barrie was acquired alongside Alex Kerfoot for Nazem Kadri, fans were heopful that although they dealt one of their top contributors at the time that Barrie could be a huge boon to the offense in his own right. This did not happen in the slightest, as he had 5 goals and 34 assists in his lone season in Toronto, often falling behind defensively. Would the team want to bring that back into the fold?
Given the current contract situation regarding Jani Hakanpaa and a few of their younger defenseman a year or two away from the NHL, the Maple Leafs could give Barrie a PTO to see if he's able to get past his injuries and contribute. Certainly he won't be a Top 6 defender but would offer solid depth and another offensive option who has playoff experience.
With GM Brad Treliving talking about how you can always load up on prospective D-men, it wouldn't surprise me to see Barrie in Blue and White; at least for a small time.
