By Jeremy Rutherford, Jesse Granger and Eric Duhatschek
The St. Louis Blues have traded forward Ivan Barbashev to the Golden Knights, Vegas announced Sunday. Forward Zach Dean is going to St. Louis as part of the deal. Here’s what you need to know:
- Barbashev, 27, has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 59 games this season.
- He’s played his entire seven-year career with the Blues after they selected him in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft.
- Vegas is 35-18-6 this season and sits first in the Pacific Division.
Scouting report
With Tarasenko dispatched to the Rangers, Barbashev became the second-most intriguing trade target among Blues forwards after Ryan O’Reilly. Barbashev isn’t close to posting the scoring numbers he did a year ago during a career year (60 points in 81 games), but he is a reliable two-way player with championship experience.
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In short, he’s this year’s Calle Jarnkrok, someone who will be moved at the deadline to a team looking to supplement its third line. — Duhatschek
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What Barbashev brings to Vegas
It’s felt like the Golden Knights have needed another top-nine forward all season, and Barbashev gives them a great option. Bruce Cassidy has spread the lineup deeper lately, and the results have been good, but adding another solid winter into the mix should only help.
Barbashev can play all three forward positions, which helps, and has the skill to play on any of Vegas’ top three lines. Whether he slots in with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, or William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, Barbashev has the potential to improve either. That, in turn, would also strengthen the bottom six by pushing either Michael Amadio or Paul Cotter down.
Barbashev has crashed down to earth a bit this year with only 10 goals and 19 assists, but he’s only a year removed from a huge 2021-22 season where he poured in 26 goals and 34 assists. Perhaps playing with some of Vegas’ top forwards can rekindle some of that offensive touch. — Granger
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Why did the Blues trade Barbashev?
The Blues are in a full-blown retool and have already moved Tarasenko, O’Reilly, Noel Acciari and Niko Mikkola. It was just a matter of time before it was Barbashev’s turn to bid farewell to St. Louis.
The 27-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent, and after putting up 26 goals and 60 points last season, he’s in line for a raise on his $2.25 million salary. The Blues likely weren’t willing to meet the cost, and thus continued to the team fire-sale leading up to the March 3 trade deadline. — Rutherford
How will he be remembered in St. Louis?
The Russian forward will always be a fan favorite in St. Louis. In 2013, the Blues sent David Perron to Edmonton and received a second-round pick in the return package. They used it on Barbashev in 2014, and he has been a valuable player since his arrival a few years later.
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In 2019, the fourth line of Barbashev, Oskar Sundqvist and Alexander Steen was a large reason the Blues won the Stanley Cup. Overall, he played 410 regular season games with the organization, and there will be huge applause when he returns. — Rutherford
Required reading
(Photo: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)
