Whenever a player gets traded, their first season with a new team is always going to be filled with ups and downs.
For Tyson Barrie, it's safe to say it's been an unusually wild ride.
Since moving to Toronto in the offseason following seven seasons with Colorado, the Maple Leafs defenseman has had to deal with a coaching change, nearly getting traded for the second time in a few months and a global pandemic that has brought the hockey world to a standstill.
And that didn't even include his on-ice performance.
"I think obviously was a bit of a slow start for me, probably the slowest of my career, so it was disappointing in that way, and then, once there was the coaching change I think the style of play maybe fit my game a little better," he told reporters Wednesday. "I think the whole team started to play well after that, but yeah, I think It was tough coming in a market like Toronto where you want to do so well and the fans are expecting a lot.
"I'm not sure I ever gave enough credit to guys who get traded and have to kind of change their whole life, move, come into a new team and fit in right away. I think it's a little tougher than I gave it credit for and I'm glad I've had the experience to see that firsthand."
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Despite the turbulence throughout the year, Barrie has actually turned into one of Toronto's more reliable defensemen. He says the struggles this season have helped him learn more about himself as a player.
"I think a big part of it for me was that I learned that I can have a really rough patch, and if you just stay with what got you there in the first place and your work ethic and your keys...I didn't try to change my game, which I'm proud of myself for," he said. "I was obviously trying to improve but also just to be true to what type of player I am and have been, and I'm grateful it turned for me."
Barrie was heavily rumored to be leaving the Leafs at the trade deadline; however, the pending unrestricted free agent ultimately stayed put, and now his future in Toronto is uncertain. At least for the moment, he's still focused on achieving what he can with the Leafs this year.
"It's a weird time to be heading into free agency, that's for sure," Barrie said. "At this point, I think all I've got to do right now is focus on getting ready to play — if we are going to play — and to make a run with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs. That's why they brought me in and that'd be pretty spectacular, so hopefully, we get a chance to do that."
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Toronto may have been unpredictable so far this campaign, but he's still bullish about the team's chances in the playoffs.
"I think we've got as good a chance as anybody," he said. "I think, you know, with the skill on our team and we're a fairly young team, I think if anybody can come out of this thing ready to rock, it's going to be us. We've got some guys with incredible talent.
"It'll be interesting to see what the games are like with no fans and all this, but I know that we've got skill and speed and we've got youth on our side, so I think we should have no problems coming out of this."
