RD Justin Barron (2020, 25th, COL; traded to MTL)

[Richard88]

Barron is exactly the player the AVs needed, thought Sakic would choose another Forward. Timmins is still an unknown with the ongoing injuries. Helleson is decent, but unspectacular D+1 college season with a longer timeline. This pick can easily slide into the 2nd or 3rd lines.

I agree. I was suggesting trading down at 25 to pick up an extra 2nd because I figured that we'd go for a forward and the pool of forwards was just very diluted/evenly matched, but Sakic made the perfect choice going with the smooth skating 6'2'' two-way RHD. Exactly what we needed.

 

[Patagonia]

I agree. I was suggesting trading down at 25 to pick up an extra 2nd because I figured that we'd go for a forward and the pool of forwards was just very diluted/evenly matched, but Sakic made the perfect choice going with the smooth skating 6'2'' two-way RHD. Exactly what we needed.

CGY with the higher selections added 3rds falling a few spots. Doubt any team would offer a 2nd unless trading out of the 1st round. Need to trade some players, lots of good options remaining.

 

[Richard88]

CGY with the higher selections added 3rds falling a few spots. Doubt any team would offer a 2nd unless trading out of the 1st round. Need to trade some players, lots of good options remaining.

Sakic should be working the phones this evening and tomorrow morning to get us some 2nd/3rd's for Jost and Zadorov.

 

[S E P H]

I like this a lot for the Avs, with Timmins’ unfortunate run of injuries.

He was widely regarded as a top-10 pick at the start of the season and didn’t really get the chance to prove that statement right or wrong.

He fills a lot of needs, but Timmins is clearly the superior player. Even with the blood clots, Barron looked to have plateaued to a certain degree for me last season.

 

[Dominance]

He fills a lot of needs, but Timmins is clearly the superior player. Even with the blood clots, Barron looked to have plateaued to a certain degree for me last season.

I did not see enough of him to say one way or the other, but being out that length of time is certainly tough for development. I suppose that’s why he went 25, though.

 

[Killerjas]

BIG BIG reach, hope he develops well.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Seems like a big stretch to me. IMO he barely improved at all from last season and wasnt nearly as good as some other D in the draft.

He just seems like a guy destined to be a "meh" bottom pairing D in the future.

 

[Richard88]

BIG BIG reach, hope he develops well.

It's not a reach. Pronman had him at 26 in his latest mock and even mentioned him at 25 as a possible Avs pick. Bob McKenzie had him at 25.

 

[Ncit3]

It's not a reach. Pronman had him at 26 in his latest mock and even mentioned him at 25 as a possible Avs pick. Bob McKenzie had him at 25.

They're a Red Wings fan. Grain of salt needs to be taken. Especially when their own club "reached" for Moritz Seider. Which seems to be doing well now too.

 

[JoemAvs]

Not a fan of this pick as an Avs fan. This D class is horrible and Barron in a normal draft should have been nowhere near the 1st round....
He certainly has some upside but I am not sure he is even a better prospect than Helleson. He certainly has more upside than Drew but also is less likely to ever turn into something decent. Add that he is old for his draftclass (2001 birthday) and I am just not a fan. Picking a RHD with our 1st in general was a very good idea but I am just not sure this was the right draft class for it and I am even less convinced that Barron is the right guy..

Hope he proves me wrong...

 

[Tube Skates]

I watch all of his games live. Kid is a great talent and showed improvement in carrying the puck through traffic with speed. Sakic knocked it out of the park with this pick. 6’2” and ripped. Skates like a lesser Bobby Orr. I consider him as an equal prospect to Noah Dobson. As soon as he steps on the ice this year he’ll be the best player in the Q league. Halifax is reinvented this year. Expect 75-80 points out of him and to be a member of the World Junior team.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

Sakic just keeps delivering. Barron was an excellent pick for the avs.

 

[Merrrlin]

He went a little earlier then some scouts had him pegged but I like what I read about him. The Avs D is looking solid for the next 5 or so years.

 

[AvsCOL]

I watch all of his games live. Kid is a great talent and showed improvement in carrying the puck through traffic with speed. Sakic knocked it out of the park with this pick. 6’2” and ripped. Skates like a lesser Bobby Orr. I consider him as an equal prospect to Noah Dobson. As soon as he steps on the ice this year he’ll be the best player in the Q league. Halifax is reinvented this year. Expect 75-80 points out of him and to be a member of the World Junior team.

That’s a bold statement...

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Q watchers are infatuated with him. Always a good sign.

I remember in 2013 a lot of scouts had Drouin as a better prospect than Mackinnon yet pretty much every Q watcher would argue how absurd that was and how Mackinnon was head and shoulders above Drouin.

Not saying Barron is Mackinnon or anything close to that but it’s a good sign that those who watch him most love him most. Unfortunately due to his injuries (like Mackinnon) the scouts who focus on more than one team/league haven’t been able to catch much of Barron.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I'm sure you guys already know this, but one group of players that Colorado keeps going back to is Halifax/Nova Scotia kids. Started with MacKinnon, and that went really well. Since then, they took Stienburg last year, and then Barron this year. Graves is Nova Scotia, but not Halifax. There are probably some others I can't think of without looking, but the Avs rate kids from that part of Canada pretty high.

 

[TopC0rner]

Barron skates well and does have a well-rounded game. He is positionally sound with great hockey sense. I think he's got underrated puck skills as well. He plays smart: he finds shooting lanes to get a lot shot through to the net, he almost never gets caught up the ice. He may not be the most creative player offensively, but imo due to his other qualities, he will still get his share of points.

That's what I got from watching him play.

 

[LarrysMustache]

Seems like a big stretch to me. IMO he barely improved at all from last season and wasnt nearly as good as some other D in the draft.

He just seems like a guy destined to be a "meh" bottom pairing D in the future.

What??? Size, skating, pro game positioning. That screams middle pairing eating minutes D to me...

 

[nbwingsfan]

What??? Size, skating, pro game positioning. That screams middle pairing eating minutes D to me...

Pro game positioning is a massive reach. He was VERY mediocre this past season when Halifax wasnt a powerhouse to hide his deficiencies. His skating is great, but doesnt have anywhere close to the offense to be middle pairing

 

[Goulet17]

Pro game positioning is a massive reach. He was VERY mediocre this past season when Halifax wasnt a powerhouse to hide his deficiencies. His skating is great, but doesnt have anywhere close to the offense to be middle pairing

He can be a middle pairing defenseman with Colorado, paired with a more offensive minded defensive partner.

For Colorado, a defensive prospect does not have to be a big offensive producer. Opportunities for a more offensive minded defenseman will likely be limited in the future.

He also was playing with a depleted Halifax team last season and his blood clotting issues started in December. He looked great among his peers at the Hlinka in August of 2019.

He is has some issues in terms of health and will need to develop some aspects of his game, but most prospects selected in the late first round have similar issues.

 

[nbwingsfan]

He can be a middle pairing defenseman with Colorado, paired with a more offensive minded defensive partner.

For Colorado, a defensive prospect does not have to be a big offensive producer. Opportunities for a more offensive minded defenseman will likely be limited in the future.

He also was playing with a depleted Halifax team last season and his blood clotting issues started in December. He looked great among his peers at the Hlinka in August of 2019.

He is has some issues in terms of health and will need to develop some aspects of his game, but most prospects selected in the late first round have similar issues.

He could develop flr sure, but from someone who had seen him ~30 times the last two seasons I dont see it. He absolutely regressed last season

 

[TopC0rner]

He could develop flr sure, but from someone who had seen him ~30 times the last two seasons I dont see it. He absolutely regressed last season

He tried to do too much because his teammates couldn't get anything done. I can't really blame him...

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

The drafting an army of blue liners continues for the Avs. Hopefully Barron will end up in the top-6 some day. There’s no reason the organization can’t be patient with him.

 

[Tube Skates]

When he hits the ice this year with the puck hounds on that Halifax team the Avs fans are gonna say Oh Momma! that’s nice. Halifax spent a ton of time in their own end last year. Not so far this year. Even without Barron the team isn’t getting bottled up.

 

[tucker3434]

I don’t know much about him. It seems like he has both the tools to be successful and the red flags that could prevent it. That’s about par for the course in the late first round. We’ll see how it goes. We’ve got a bit of time.

 

[Tube Skates]

That’s a bold statement...

I’ve seen a ton of both players. Barron is a little behind on the development curve offensively and there’s an age gap. Barron was never given free reign to show his offensive ability with Veilleaux in charge. Barron was virtually unstoppable at the end of last season. Avs scouts were watching before the Covid crisis hit. I like Dobson a lot