Ex-Oilers defenceman Barrie reveals Holland tried to acquire Erik Karlsson

Being moved at the trade deadline didn’t come as a shock to ex-Edmonton Oilers defenceman Tyson Barrie, but who he was dealt for did.

Speaking on the Mitts Off podcast with Luke Gazdic, Barrie admitted that it was tough being dealt by the Oilers, with whom he had hoped to win a Stanley Cup. The 32-year-old had been a big part of the Oilers for three seasons, particularly when it came to their power play.

That said, Barrie was aware throughout last season that a deal may transpire. Oilers general manager Ken Holland even warned him of the possibility, though, as Barrie explained, the trade he was told he might be a part of never came to fruition.

“Leaving Edmonton was tough on me, for sure,” Barrie said. “I thought we made some steps the year before, went to the Conference Final. I felt like a big part of that, felt like I was having a pretty good year, and I didn’t really think I was on the radar. I had heard some Erik Karlsson rumours. I talked to [Holland], and he told me, ‘Hey, that’s kind of the only place you’re going to go if we have a chance to get Erik Karlsson.’ I said, ‘Hey, I get it, no problem.’ Something came together last minute, kind of caught me off guard.”

Throughout the 2022-23 season, there had been whispers that the Oilers may have been in on Karlsson, but they ended up being dismissed. From the sounds of things, however, Holland believed he had a real chance of landing last year’s Norris Trophy winner. Instead, he chose to move Barrie to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Mattias Ekholm in a deal that immediately improved the Oilers’ back end from a defensive standpoint.

While landing Karlsson would have been quite exciting, given his offensive abilities, most would agree that Ekholm is the better fit for the Oilers. Not only were they a team last season needing to improve defensively, but Bouchard is a similar, albeit less talented, version of Karlsson and plays on the same side.

Any chance of the Oilers still being in on Karlsson was officially put to rest earlier this summer as the San Jose Sharks dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though the Oilers missed out on him, they are more than happy to have Ekholm locked in for the next three seasons.

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