Lawless: Golden Knights Add Barbashev to Already Cup Contending Roster
Vegas acquired forward Ivan Barbashev from St. Louis on Sunday morning
Vegas Golden Knights GM McCrimmon added power and finish to his lineup on Sunday morning acquiring forward Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect Zach Dean.
Barbashev will wear No. 49 and will join the team in Denver so he can make his Golden Knights debut Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
McCrimmon's Golden Knights have been the NHL's best team coming out of the all-star break and sit first in the Western Conference and Pacific Division winning six of eight games and collecting points in all of them. The team game and goaltending has been excellent, the Golden Knights players have announced themselves as a contender and their GM has taken his first swing to reward the players' efforts and bolster the roster. Following the Barbashev acquisition, McCrimmon still has a large piece of available salary cap space to weaponize should he choose to do so.
The 27-year-old Russian winger scored 26 goals and 60 points for the Blues last season. Through 59 games this season the 6-1 and 195 pound Moscow native has produced 10 goals and 29 points.
Barbashev plays a physical style and has been a Blues hits leader during his seven seasons in St. Louis. Last year he led the Blues with 160 hits and has 132 so far this season.
A combination of power and skill, Barbashev can play up and down the lineup on the wing or at center. He can and has contributed on both special teams. St. Louis used him on all three of their top lines at different junctures.
During the Blues run to the Stanley Cup in 2019, Barbashev led all NHL skaters with 89 hits in the post-season and was considered a key contributor to the team's victory in seven games over Bruce Cassidy's Boston Bruins.
"We played against him in a playoff series when I was with the Bruins. Hardnosed guy. Back then he was a physical fourth line energy guy who would get to the inside. They didn't use him in an offensive role but he did his job really well. He was very effective," said Cassidy. Barbashev has collected 89 points in his last 140 regular season games. "Over the years he's grown his offensive game and I think we'll see more of that from him as a Golden Knight. He'll still bring the interior presence and physicality which is something I feel our team needs. We have some of that but you can always use more so I think he'll help us."
Cassidy has known the Golden Knights were considering a move for Barbashev for a few days and has been running line combinations through his mind.
"I have an idea but until we talk to the other players …. He's going to get a chance to play with skilled hockey players. Whether that's Jack (Eichel) and March (Jonathan Marchessault) or Karly (William Karlsson) and Smitty (Reilly Smith). I'm going to talk to him about left wing vs. right wing. I know he's played all over. We'll get a more physical player if he's on the wing as he'll be freed up to get in on the forecheck. And we're pretty good down the middle, we like our center-ice-men. You'll probably see him on one of those lines depending on his feel and where he's been playing most of the year. My guess is you might see him on all three of our top lines at some point to see where his best fit is."
Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was Barbashev's teammate in St. Louis so there is instant familiarity in the dressing room for the player.
"This is a good pick up for us. An underrated pick up for us," said Pietrangelo, who captained the Blues to their Stanley Cup in 2019. "He'll fit in really well. The first thing guys ask when you get a player from another team is what's he like off the ice. On the ice, he's versatile and can play up and down the lineup. Last year in St. Louis he played up and he had 60 points. This year he's playing down and his offense had dropped a bit but he's still producing. The year we won, he played on the fourth line in a shutdown role against Boston's best players and he was a big reason why we won. He's versatile, he plays the game hard and he likes to win."
Pietrangelo and Barbashev have remained in contact since the defender's departure from St. Louis and they spoke immediately after the trade.
"He's really excited. So is his wife. We spent a lot of time together off the ice. A lot of dinners over the years," said Pietrangelo. "Every time you have a friend join you on your team it's a good thing. He plays in every situation and he's tough to play against. You want guys that are hard to play against in the playoffs. He has that physical mentality and it wears on the other team."
Barbashev can score in transition with his shot but does most of his work in tight and consistently goes to the net. Barbashev's contract has an average annual value of $2,250,000 and he's a pending unrestricted free agent.
Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was Barbashev's teammate in St. Louis so there is instant familiarity in the dressing room for the player.
Dean, 20, was selected 30th in the first round of the 20-21 entry draft by Vegas. He has 24 goals and 49 points with Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
