"Ivan is the type of player we need," Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "He's different than what we have. We have a very good team, but this complements and broadens the skill set and makeup of our roster in terms of that type of player. He gets to the inside. He plays a hard game. He's at the net. He kills penalties. He'll have an important role."
Barbashev has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 59 games this season. He had 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games last season.
The 27-year-old forward, who is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Blues on July 30, 2021, can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"We had talked about an extension and he had felt it was a proper time for him to explore the market, and I certainly understand that, so we were able to get a player we liked in his draft year a couple years ago, a player we obviously monitored in Dean," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "(Dean) checks a lot of boxes of skating, character, tenacity and he's going to turn pro next year. We believe that's a good add for us, for a player that was going to test the market."
Selected by St. Louis in the second round (No. 33) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Barbashev has 178 points (78 goals, 100 assists) in 410 regular-season games and nine points (three goals, six assists) in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 with Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who McCrimmon said provided insight on Barbashev.
McCrimmon also said Vegas is "interested in keeping him long term."
"Ivan is a player we know well. ... We're confident that we know what we're getting," McCrimmon said. "He has a physical edge to his game. He's a competitive player. We think he's going to move around our lineup and complement whatever line he plays on."
RELATED: [2022-23 NHL Trade Tracker]
Dean was selected by the Golden Knights in the first round (No. 30) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old has 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists) in 38 games for Gatineau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season.
The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
The Golden Knights (35-18-6) are first in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, but are without forward Mark Stone, who is out indefinitely after having back surgery Jan. 31.
The Blues (26-28-5) are 13 points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. They have lost five in a row (0-3-2) while being outscored 21-8 since trading captain Ryan O'Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a three-team deal with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 17.
St. Louis also traded forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers on Feb. 9 for forward Sammy Blais, defenseman prospect
Hunter Skinner
and two conditional draft picks.
NHL.com independent correspondents Paul Delos Santos and Lou Korac contributed to this report
