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Justin Barron’s Road to the Blues Takes Interesting Turn
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- Justin Barron’s Road to the Blues Takes Interesting Turn
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Justin Barron has bounced from team to team in his career, but he may have found a home with the St. Louis Blues.
Barron, 24, has been a surprise addition to the Blues' blue line. With the team's defensemen outside of Philip Broberg struggling to generate offense, Barron has helped carry some of that workload. In 12 games this season, Barron has two goals and six assists, placing him second among the Blues defensemen in points. Apart from Broberg's 10 points, no other defenseman on the team has more than four. Considering Barron was claimed off waivers just days before the start of the season, he has become an unexpected source of offense for the Blues.
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Barron's Journey to St. Louis
Barron's road to the Blues began with the Colorado Avalanche after being selected 25th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After finishing his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads, Barron spent most of his first professional season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, but eventually made his NHL debut, playing in two games with the Avalanche.
In March of that season, Barron was included in the package Colorado sent to the Montreal Canadiens to acquire Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado had Stanley Cup aspirations and believed Lehkonen would put them over the top. At the time, Barron was one of the team's top defenseman prospects and was a central piece to getting the deal done with Montreal.
In Montreal, Barron spent parts of the next four seasons trying to solidify a spot on the Canadiens' blue line, splitting time between the NHL club and its AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. With Montreal looking for a defenseman they could depend on to play every night, Barron was moved again.
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This time, the deal was one-for-one, with Montreal sending Barron to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier. He was getting a fresh start, but his tenure with Nashville was more of the same. He continued to struggle to earn an everyday role, appearing in 45 games in his first season and 52 in the next while mainly being used as a depth defenseman.
Going into this year, the Predators deemed Barron expendable, placing him on waivers right before the start of the season. That is where the Blues come into the equation. Their defense was decimated by injury during the preseason, opening a spot for Barron to come in and play right away. He has taken that opportunity and run with it.
Barron Just Needed a Chance
The Blues lost Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker to injury before the season even began. Mailloux broke his hand in a fight during the preseason finale, and the team announced he would be re-evaluated in eight weeks. Tucker underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, and the team announced that he would be re-evaluated in six weeks.
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With their defensive depth suddenly tested, the Blues needed reinforcements. Their first move was to call up their top defenseman prospect, Adam Jiricek. Their second move was claiming Barron off waivers. Less than two weeks later, he made his Blues debut in the team's 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Barron did not come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, recording just one point in his first six games. However, as he got more comfortable with his new team and teammates, his production improved, despite his role staying relatively the same.
Making the Most of His Opportunity
Barron's breakout performance came in the Blues' 6-2 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights. He played in a season-high 20:23 in the contest, recording his first goal of the season and adding three assists for the first four-point game of his career. For a player who had struggled to make an impact with three different organizations, it was an encouraging sign of what he could offer the Blues.
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"He's just done a really good job in all three zones. He hasn't over-complicated the game, makes the simple play, understands how we want to play. So credit to him because he's really taken advantage of his opportunity," Jim Montgomery said following the game, as reported by Lou Korac . Barron is not trying to do too much. He is taking what the game is giving him, and the results have been positive. His performance against Vegas was not a one-off, either.
Barron was big once again in the Blues' comeback victory against the Detroit Red Wings. He helped create the team's opening goal, finding Dalibor Dvorsky alone in front of the net. Then in the third period, with the Blues down by one, Barron fired a one-timer from just above the slot over the shoulder of Detroit's goaltender John Gibson.
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki would score the eventual game-winner less than 20 seconds later, but in just 12 games this season, Barron has made a great first impression with his new team.
On his fourth team in his relatively young career, Barron may have finally gotten the opportunity he was looking for with the Blues. It is a small sample size, and the returns of Mailloux and Tucker could complicate Barron's spot in the lineup. However, if he continues to perform as he has so far this season, Montgomery will have a difficult decision to make.
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