For Tyson Barrie fans, it’s the end of an era.
As announced on Monday morning, Barrie is calling it a career. The 34-year-old defenseman announced his retirement after playing 14 seasons across the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames. He was initially picked No. 64 by Colorado in the 2009 NHL Draft and spent some time (11 games) last season with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.
Barrie signed a one-year contract with the Flames on October 3, 2024, and concluded his career with 508 points, including 110 goals and 398 assists, across 822 regular-season games.
What Will Tyson Barrie’s NHL Legacy Be?
Barrie developed a reputation as a defenseman with a knack for finding the back of the net. According to NHL.com, the 13 goals he scored in 2013-14 were the most by an Avalanche defenseman since John-Michael Liles scored 14 back in 2006-07. Additionally, the 5’11”, 197-pound player was the leading scorer among defensemen in each of his four full junior seasons with Kelowna of the Western Hockey League before joining the NHL.
After 822 NHL games, Tyson Barrie is calling it a career. 👏
Best of luck in retirement! pic.twitter.com/3lcarmiaZw
— NHL (@NHL) August 25, 2025
The Avalanche held on to Barrie until the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. He was dealt away in a deal that sent him to the Maple Leafs and brought Nazem Kadri to Colorado in July 2019.
Colorado also received defenseman Calle Rosen and a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Toronto got forward Alexander Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
“We wanted to get a second-line centerman, and we didn’t think financially it was going to work down the line by trying to sign Tyson to an extension,” then-Colorado general manager Joe Sakic said at the time. “It’s going to cost a lot of money, and we felt it was one of those trades for both teams; they’re looking for a right-handed defenseman, and we’re looking for a second-line center. That’s where the deal makes sense for both teams.”
Later in his career, after signing a contract with the Edmonton Oilers, Barrie led the league in defensemen with 48 points in the 2020 season. He played for Edmonton for three seasons until he was traded to Nashville.
Following playing for Nashville from 2022 until the end of the 2023-24 season, he was signed by Calgary as previously mentioned in free agency, bringing us back to his retirement.
Barrie’s career-high came in 2018-19 with the Avalanche, in which he recorded 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) across 78 games played. His legacy will live on through current offensive defensemen in the league, such as Colorado’s alternate captain Cale Makar and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes.
