Sidney Crosby has known so many talented players that he can recognize them when he sees them. In his eyes, Justin Barron clearly falls into this category.
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Crosby also believes that the Colorado Avalanche made a mistake by trading the promising defender to the Montreal Canadiens. This was revealed by his teammate Kristopher Letang in the TVA Sports podcast “Lavoie-Letang”, recorded on Thursday.
“When he heard of the trade, Crosby said, ‘I never would have done this if I was the Avalanche. That kid, he’s a real hockey player. He’s ready to play in the NHL and he will become a good player,” Letang said.
“He really praised it to me, chained the veteran of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I don’t know if it’s because they skated together in Halifax in the summer! [rires] It’s usually rare for Sid to say such things about a player. When he told me that, I thought it must be true!”
Crosby believes Barron has what it takes to shine at the highest level.
“According to him, Barron has a very good first pass, a good vision of the game, he skates well and he is able to play well offensively and defensively. He said he’s going to play 20-22 minutes a game eventually,” Letang said.
“You can’t predict the future, but that’s the impression Sid got after watching Barron play. He thinks the Avalanche should have kept him and that he shouldn’t have been traded.”
A rare luxury
Letang rightly maintains, however, that the Avalanche are one of the few teams that can afford such a luxury by virtue of the depth of their succession in the blue league. Talent is overflowing in Colorado.
“The Avalanche are loaded on defense with Cale Makar, Samuel Girard, Devon Toews, Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins. There were too many defenders. Eventually, we had to get rid of one.”
“The Avalanche had the luxury of trading a young defenseman like Barron. It’s rare. Few teams have that luxury.
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“The Avalanche want to win this year, because they will have constraints on the payroll due in particular to the new contract that must sign Nathan MacKinnon after the next season, underlined Letang. The team is going “all in” this year. No, you don’t normally trade players like Barron, but it depends on the situation.”
In Montreal, on the other hand, patience is required with the newcomer. In Letang’s personal experience, Barron will need two years in the NHL to fully develop physically and show his true worth.
“If you ask him to play on the first wave on the advantage and shorthanded, and spend 25-30 minutes on the ice per game, he will have a hard time keeping up because he will be overtaxed. It should be used gradually. Barron will need to play two years in the NHL.”
A matter of details
Letang suggests that he focus on his defensive game first. The rest will follow naturally.
“When young defensemen come to the NHL, they have to really understand the defensive game. Often in junior they were too strong for the league, so their offensive skills were always prioritized. You don’t need to play well defensively in the juniors, where the game is slower, so it’s easier. In the NHL, the execution is faster, all the players are excellent and the defensemen have to be good defensively to be successful.
Attention to detail is also paramount.
“You have to focus on the distance with the puck carrier. It’s important to be good in your territory, to be able to be physical and not to give the front of the net. A lot of players make it their livelihood. You have to stay in front of the goalie and deflect the pucks.”
“You have to learn to play well in your zone, you can’t just be good offensively at the highest level. The details are what is important for a young defender. The offensive skills will come out on their own during the matches.
Pitfalls to avoid
Letang says he put those tips into practice when he started out in the NHL, helping him to be among the elite in his position today.
“That’s how I was raised in the NHL. I focused on playing well defensively and playing physical. That’s how I was able to be a more complete player. It’s just since I was 24-25 that I became the player I wanted to be. Even though I am an offensive defender, I am now able to play well on both sides of the ice.
But be careful, do not fall into certain traps.
“The problem is not wanting to do everything and wanting to focus on what you can do best. You have to learn to do everything. Otherwise, there will always be a better player than you and it can go downhill.