The writing was on the wall when the Calgary Flames gave Tyson Barrie the day off on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Flames officially placed the veteran defenceman on waivers, a move that quite possibly brings his time with the team to an end.
The 33-year-old was signed to a professional tryout deal shortly before training camp in the fall and the team then gave him a one-year contract worth US$1.25 million before the start of the regular season.
If there were hopes that he could re-find some form after a couple off years with the Nashville Predators, they were formally dashed by Thursday’s move.
The Flames don’t comment on players placed on waivers until they have cleared.
“I have a lot of respect and time for him maybe because of our history, I think he’s a real good individual and he’s a great teammate around the room,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska, who also worked with Barrie when the two were with the Kelowna Rockets in 2008-09. “I’ve got a lot of things I would say about him but, again, we have to see how this process shakes out tomorrow.”
The reality is that Barrie never managed to work his way into regular playing time for the Flames. He appeared in only 13 games this season, scoring once and adding two assists while posting a minus-7.
He played four games at the end of January and beginning of February, but previously had gone nearly two months without playing a game.
Barrie has appeared in 822 games over his NHL career, splitting time between the Predators, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. He recorded 110 goals and 398 assists.
The Flames recalled Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Wednesday morning.