Yahoo Sports REPORT: Oilers Could Easily Bring Back Fan Favorite Defender
EDMONTON -- It's PTO season.
The Edmonton Oilers roster is rounding into form. Recent moves have helped solidify a few things. With Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway exiting due to offer sheets, it frees up salary and positions to create internal competition for training camp.
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Another method the team can deploy to further foster competition is the use of PTO's. Professional tryout deals are unspoken agreements where a player can practice with a team and play pre-season games. They can also use team facilities under the duration of the agreement.
However, in order for them to play regular season games they must have an NHL contract.
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One player who is reportedly on the Oilers PTO radar is Tyson Barrie. Of course, Barrie was traded away to the Nashville Predators in the deal that brought Mattias Ekholm into the fold.
Barrie had a rocky 2023-24 season. He sat in the press box for extended periods of time and only played 41 games.
A few insiders have hinted at Barrie being brought back on a PTO. Dustin Nielson of Edmonton Sports talk being one of those insiders.
Another insider, Bob Stauffer who is the host of Oilers Now, appeared on a podcast to discuss the Oilers. He said, "it would not surprise me if [the Oilers] are having internal discussion on whether or not they need to add one more potential puck mover -- and likely a right shot if they do."
The last time Barrie played for the Oilers he ran the team's power play. He obviously won't be in charge of the first unit if he signs, as Evan Bouchard is the established defender on the top unit. Over the course of his nearly three year tenure he recorded 132 points in 190 games. That is a 0.69 points per game pace.
If Barrie does sign a PTO, it will be interesting to monitor how this coaching staff deploys him. Will he slot in with Darnell Nurse on the second pairing? Or would he be better suited to pair up with Brett Kulak in addition to running the second unit power play as a lone defenseman? Oilers fans will need to wait until training camp to find out.
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