Sometimes, one has to wait a bit to get what they want.
NHL general managers are not immune to that truth, and Barry Trotz has experienced that firsthand twice in the past month.
Last season, Nashville’s GM tried to acquire goaltender Justus Annunen from the Colorado Avalanche. The deal didn’t work then, but it came to fruition less than a month ago. Now, a goaltender the Predators had their eyes on for a while is a member of the organization.
Trotz felt the same about defenseman Justin Barron. A trade didn’t come together last season, but Trotz tried.
Then, on Wednesday night, a swap emerged, and Trotz’s patience paid off.
The Preds acquired Barron from Montreal in exchange for Alexandre Carrier in a one-for-one deal that brings in a young blueliner with loads of potential into the Nashville system.
A first-round pick by Colorado in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-2 Barron posted career highs in virtually every statistical category last season, and Nashville has been interested in acquiring the right-shot defenseman for some time.
And while Trotz was understandably excited to discuss his latest acquisition, he made it a point to begin his media availability on Thursday morning at Bridgestone Arena by acknowledging a defenseman who will certainly be missed on and off the ice in Nashville.
“First of all, I'd like to just thank Alex publicly,” Trotz said. “He's competitive, he’s gone through the system in Milwaukee, worked his way to the NHL and has been a real solid player, but what a terrific human being he is. As a person, everything that we talk about in being a Predator is what you do in the community, how you treat people, how you act, and he is an outstanding person.
“We probably didn't expect to be where we are, but I wanted to put him in a situation where it made sense. He’s going back to Montreal where that's really his home in the offseason. So, from that standpoint, I think it's a really good fit. He's going to provide Montreal with the same character and the same leadership that he provided us in our locker room.”
Trotz then turned his attention to the newest member of the organization, a player who the Predators GM believes can realize his full potential with the tutelage of Nashville’s development staff.
"We feel that, in Justin's case - Montreal has a lot of young defenseman - maybe [he was] being a little bit under-utilized for where they're going,” Trotz said of Barron. “We have a great track record working with young defenseman. What we'll get is a younger player, a former first-round pick. He's got some size to him…he’s got some length, and he's a really good skater. So, what we've done in the past with developing defensemen, and credit to our scouting staff, you see it right now. We've got four guys who have come up from the American League ranks and are playing defense for us and contributing. So the scouting and the development process that we have, we feel very confident that hopefully Justin can fall into that and continue to grow with us.”
