I have said from the very beginning, from the time that Barrie's name came up as available in trade rumors, that he was not a good fit for this team and what we needed.
We very clearly needed someone who could defend, that would free up Rielly to play to his strengths, which was moving the puck up and out quickly, and let his offensive prowess be utilized. Barrie was never the guy we needed and it's painfully obvious.
I'm not a Dubas basher or fanboy. I can see the good he does and when he makes mistakes (he is human, after all). Barrie was a mistake and the Kadri trade was not a good one. He did it with the best of intentions but he wasted a prime long-term asset by not filling a long-term need. You don't make trades out of desperation, you make trades for fits. If there was "no other" trade out there, than you don't make the trade that is the best out of a bad lot. You keep the asset and wait for a better trade to come along. Period.
For me, Barrie can't get off this team fast enough. He should have never been on it. I don't have any expectations for Barrie here. My only hope is that he is traded as soon as possible (today would be nice). If we can get him off the team for a 1st and a prospect, that will have more long-term value to the Leafs than anything Barrie himself ever offered. Conversely, if we added Barrie as part of a package for a long-term solution at RHD, such as Manson, that would also be a better solution.
I think he can still help us long-term, only be being traded himself. I'm not going to Larry Murphy the guy as Barrie was never a need or a fit here. I don't think he is being treated unfairly here. He's had 2 different coaches try to find where he fits and he simply does not. Doesn't mean he's a bad player, it means he only brings what we have too much of and doesn't bring what we desperately needed. He is redundent here. Doesn't mean that he wouldn't thrive on a team that has less offensive talent than we do, and that is why I think he would still garner a signficant return in a trade.
Nothing wrong with making a mistake and saying something didn't work out as expected as you can never really know how someone is going to fit in. Having said that, you have to recognize when a mistake has been made and fix it. Barrie needs to go, and we are fortunate that we would be able to salvage a decent return that will still be beneficial to us. If we stupidly keep the guy and let him walk at UFA, then we absolutely lost that trade, and kept a guy who did more harm than good in his time here.
It's not about being right or wrong, it's about doing what's best for the Team, no matter what.
Ok, rant over.
