The Preds had Justin Barron in their sights for a while.

Dose
Crédit: Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Justin Barron never became the defender that was hoped for in Montreal.

He played 109 games in the Canadiens uniform, and even though he collected 31 points, it cannot be said that the experience was a success for him in the city.

The Canadiens finally sent him to Nashville last night, in exchange for defenseman Alexandre Carrier.

But even though the CH decided to part ways with the young defenseman, it doesn’t mean that he won’t have a bright career in the NHL.

He is only 23 years old and in Nashville, they believe a lot in him.

At least, that’s what we can think when we hear Andrew Brunette say on the radio (The Game Nashville) that the Preds had Justin Barron in their sights for a while.

The Predators’ coach claims that the organization is excited about welcoming him because he has been talked about “several times” in Nashville:

Nicolas Cloutier shared a tweet that aligns with this as well.

According to the TVA Sports journalist, the Preds wanted to draft Barron in 2020 before the Avalanche:

The fact that he is going to Nashville knowing that the Preds want him must also be comforting.

Justin Barron seemed like a guy without confidence on the ice in recent weeks and he was not in the best situation in the world, but he has the opportunity for a fresh start in Nashville, and it’s up to him to take advantage of it.

Moreover, it was noted that last night, Barron went out for dinner with four other Canadiens players according to what Arpon Basu (The Athletic) reported.

We’re talking about Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, Michael Pezzetta, and Kaiden Guhle.

Barron received a call from Jeff Gorton while he was on his way to pick up his teammates, and it was then that the guys understood that something was happening.

We know that Jeff Gorton was the one who called Alexandre Carrier to welcome him to Montreal.

And evidently, he is also the one who had to intervene with Justin Barron because Kent Hughes is currently in Russia.

I am eager to see if Justin Barron will be able to blossom with his new team. He has talent, and we have seen flashes from him, but he needs to work on his consistency.

He has the qualities to become a good NHL player. Now, the Preds also need to place him in a favorable situation for that to happen.

In Brief

– Logical.

– Ouch.

– A comeback in Toronto.