Blues’ Ivan Barbashev a potential cherry on top for Stanley Cup contenders at Trade Deadline

Credit: © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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It’s the Final Countdown. We’re just over one week away from the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story each day leading up to the deadline.

Today, we’re going to hone in on St. Louis Blues winger Ivan Barbashev, who captured the attention of the league with a breakout season last year but has regressed to the mean in his contract season.

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 10 days

IVAN BARBASHEV
Left Winger, St. Lous Blues
Shoots: Left
Age: 27
Cap Hit: $2.25 million
Term: Pending UFA
Trade Clauses: No restrictions
Stats: 56 GP, 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, 16:18 avg TOI
Career: 7th season (all with St. Louis), 407 games, 78 goals, 177 points, 13:46 avg TOI

Archetype and Ideal Role

Secondary scoring winger. Third line.

Barbashev has shown the ability to play up and down the lineup as a classic elevator player. But if he’s playing on your third line, that means your team is deep and ready to make an authentic run at a Stanley Cup.

Scouting Report

Here’s the thing about Barbashev: He doesn’t fit neatly into any one box and is a nightmare for anyone working on an Archetype Ranking series project like the one we did earlier this season on Daily Faceoff. He is a solid, middle-six NHL forward with a lot of strong attributes – but none that sticks out as elite, hence the third line fit and role as a secondary scorer.

Barbashev competes hard in all three zones and is responsible. Even though he isn’t ‘fast,’ he doesn’t cheat for offense. He contests pucks by getting into slot lanes, finishes checks, and presents a strong support option for his defensemen to break pucks out of the zone.

One of Barbashev’s best attributes is that he knows his own game. He has awareness of who he is, what he does well, and what he needs to do to be successful. He rarely transports the puck, but when he gets it in the offensive zone, he can find teammates for good looks. Barbashev is more of a passer than a shooter. He doesn’t take many shots, rather waiting for teammates to get open and dishing, instead of firing off pucks. That explains why his shooting percentage is relatively high over his career compared to other forwards.

As a playmaker, Barbashev is best suited to make small area plays. He can use his frame to protect the puck, draw in defenders, and then dish nearby to teammates for shots. Barbashev will sometimes make plays against the grain to all areas of the offensive zone, but he wouldn’t be considered a high-end distributor. He is best suited to play on a line with a player who can hunt pucks, plus a third player who is predisposed to shoot first.

Barbashev can contribute to both special teams units. On the power play, Barbashev can play the net-front position well; he competes for loose pucks off of shots, and finds teammates well from in and around the net. On the penalty kill, Barbashev can log second unit minutes and is willing to eat shots and play physical to make life harder on opposition power plays.

Buyer Beware

Since going No. 33 overall to the Blues in 2014, the question mark surrounding Barbashev has always been his feet and his pace. He lacks explosiveness that generates separation, which is why he isn’t the best player to transport the puck up the ice and gain entry into the offensive zone. He is best playing with players who bring the pace and clear space for him.

While Barbashev is willing to play physically, he isn’t always physical. He picks his spots. When the time is right, he will engage and fight for contested pucks, but there are times he doesn’t get there on-time, and others when he doesn’t fight through. That can be utterly maddening for coaches.

From a skillset perspective, while Barbashev can can make plays to attack, he isn’t always a threat. So better defenders opt to close on him quickly and attempt to kill plays while he has the puck. Because he isn’t really a shot threat, defenders can also shy away from him and then recover quickly, making life a little bit harder on his linemates as they’re also vying for time and space.

Lastly, while he has a Stanley Cup ring and a ton of playoff experience, Barbashev has historically not been a big playoff producer. He has just three goals in 50 career playoff games and collected just six points during St. Louis’ 26-game run in 2019. He was suspended for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final for an illegal check to the head of Boston’s Marcus Johansson. That could be matchup related, or the fact that as teams get better and the games become more difficult to win, Barbashev has a harder time finding the space and time necessary to make plays amid the battle.

Potential Fits

Winnipeg Jets: The Jets are looking for a little more scoring punch to round out their group. Adam Lowry is currently centering Morgan Barron and Sam Gagner. Pushing one of those two wingers down to the fourth line will make Winnipeg’s overall attack stronger, and he can slide onto their second unit for either special team.
Calgary Flames: The Flames have been in the market for a scoring winger since August. While Barbashev doesn’t necessarily rocket to the top of the list, it might be the exact sort of compromise that GM Brad Treliving could talk himself into for a team that has been so inconsistent. He’s an add that will help but won’t break the bank.
Boston Bruins: Depending on the Bruins’ work to add on the back end, how aggressive will they be up front? Boston should be all-in and they found a lot of success in 2019 adding Marcus Johansson for relatively cheap. Barbashev could play on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Taylor Hall, sliding Trent Frederic down to the fourth line. The complicating factor is they don’t have many second-round picks.
Carolina Hurricanes: If the Hurricanes strike out on Timo Meier, would they pivot to a lower-case addition like Barbashev? Maybe not, as they might not see him as a difference maker. But they would certainly monitor the price as they added Max Domi last year at 2:59pm for next to nothing.
New Jersey Devils: Similar to the Canes, Barbashev could be a decent check-down option for the Devils in they don’t make the move for Meier.
Dallas Stars: The Stars are on the prowl for a Top 6 scoring forward addition. They haven’t been linked to much. They also don’t have a first-round pick this season, so thinking in line with someone of Barbashev’s acquisition cost might be appropriate.

Comparable Trade Returns

March 16, 2022
To Calgary: Calle Jarnkrok
To Seattle: 2022 2nd Round Pick (David Goyette), 2023 3rd Round Pick, 2024 7th Round Pick, 50 percent retained

The price paid by Calgary last spring for Jarnkrok is probably closer to the high end of what the Blues might be able to expect for Barbashev. But the Flames really liked the fit. And the seventh-round pick was the payment for the Kraken to retain half to make the money work.

March 20, 2022
To Tampa Bay: Nick Paul
To Ottawa: Mathieu Joseph, 2024 4th Round Pick, 44.5 percent retained

If the Blues wanted to focus on a player acquisition as opposed to purely futures with the pick, the Paul for Joseph deal might be a fit.

Summary

Barbashev brings solid depth and Stanley Cup experience, but he appears to lack a killer instinct in the playoffs. He would be a solid contributor to a team’s third line depth and second unit special teams. Overall, he is a luxury addition for a great team, and a good player on a team that wants a little more juice for a run.

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