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Can Russell and Barrie Work? |
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New season starts right away, so be sure to follow me on Twitter for all Oilers related news and updates.
Over the first few days of training camp we have seen Kris Russell and Tyson Barrie play together to the chagrin of many, myself included.
Barrie far more than a powerplay defenseman. Between the 16/17 and 18/19 season, Tyson Barrie ranked 8th in the league in EV goals, ahead of the likes of Pietrangelo, Ekblad, Josi, and Seth Jones in that time. From 17/18 to 19/20, including his less good year in Toronto, he ranks 13th among all defensemen.
Similar to Darnell Nurse, Barrie is a player who will carry the puck out of the defensive end more likely than he is to pass a puck outside the defensive zone. Last season Darnell Nurse carried out the puck 187 times as compared to Barrie who did the same 152 times but that is the strong suit for both players. Overall Nurse had an 80.3% for defensive zone exits while Barrie had a 78.8%. That is solid numbers overall and Barrie would have been second on the team behind Nurse and ahead of Klefbom in this. If the two did play together it would be an interesting duo as it would give the Oilers a strong puck transporter on either side.
However that is typically not how Tippett likes to utilize his defensemen. He likes to pair shutdown players with puck transporters. Even though Nurse-Bear does not fit that bill, Bear is not a player to carry the puck out much himself but is an excellent outlet passer.
That leads us back to the question at hand, is Russell a good fit to play with Tyson Barrie.
The answer..... maybe.
Last season Tyson Barrie played just over 1265 minutes at 5 on 5. Of those minutes here how it was broken down.
Elites (Minutes against top opposition) - 306:30
Middle - 493:47
Gritensity (bottom six) - 465:85
Here is how he faired at each.
Elites
CF%: 50.2
GF: 14
GA: 20
GF%: 41.20%
Middle
CF%: 55.0
GF: 16
GA: 20
GF%: 44.40%
Gritensity
CF%: 54.0
GF: 29
GA: 21
GF%: 58%
This paints a picture of a player who is able to take advantage of lesser competition but struggles against tougher competition. I went back and looked at his numbers in Colorado and with the exception of the 16/17 season where the whole Avs team stunk, Barrie has been a positive influence on scoring against all competition.
I suppose now you want to know Kris Russell's numbers, GF%, CF% and impact on the ice. Well allow me to skip the boring parts and jump right to the conclusion. Kris Russell is not the player you want on the ice against top competition but can hold his own against the Gritensity or lower end competition.
If the plan is to utilize Kris Russell and Tyson Barrie as a third pairing with a high number of offensive zone starts, than I believe this pair can work well. The Russell-Benning duo actually outscored the opposition 10-3 in 226 minutes together last season.
However if the plan is to use them more as a true second pairing facing tougher competition, this could be a massive liability defensively for the Edmonton Oilers. How bad it is depends on whether we have the Tyson Barrie from last season or the one he was in Colorado.
Ultimately that is the biggest factor in discussing Barrie's linemate. If Barrie shows his coach early that he is the strong puck carrying offensive threat who can play against the best that he was in Colorado, anchoring Kris Russell next to him is a big no and instead someone like Caleb Jones or maybe even Slater Koekkoek needs to be his partner.
Alternatively, if Barrie ends up being more of a third pair player, than Kris Russell won't be the worst partner but they certainly won't thrive.
Thanks for reading.
All numbers via NaturalStatTrick. PuckIQ, and Sportlogiq courtesy of an article by Jason Gregor
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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