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Kent Hughes, the recently appointed general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, took some time to transfer Artturi Lehkonen, but it wasn’t for lack of interest. The reason for this was that the Habs were aware of what they had in the native Finn. Ultimately, he had emerged as a responsible two-way player after being selected 55th overall in the second round of the 2013 draft.
Using Lehkonen, who had an expiring contract and would be past his prime when the Canadiens were prepared to compete, was Hughes’ straightforward plan to get a mobile right-shot defenseman—something Montreal had been lacking for what felt like an eternity. After a protracted back and forth, Joe Sakic eventually conceded to transfer Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick to Montreal in exchange for Lehkonen.
The Result of the Trade in Colorado… Fast forward three years and the forward has got a Stanley Cup ring, a new contract and is an important part of the Avs’ attack. In his first full season in Denver, he racked up a personal best 51 points in just 64 games, 0.79 points per game, a far cry from his 0.37 average over six seasons in Montreal. This past season, he only featured in 45 games but still gathered 34 points for a 0.75 PPG average.
He has struggled to stay healthy but still he has competed in 125 games in Colorado while Barron has only played 92 games in Montreal and it wasn’t because of health issues. Well, actually, the other defensemen’s health issues allowed him to play more games in the NHL. The Result of the Trade in Montreal… Barron’s a good skater and he has an offensive upside but he always looks tentative on the ice. One would have hoped being name to the Team Canada roster at the 2023 World Championship would have given him an infusion of confidence, but it doesn’t seem to have. He patrolled the Canadian blueline for 10 games and came back home with a gold medal around his neck, but he still started the season in Laval.
Despite playing 48 games with the Canadiens throughout the season after being brought up a little later in October, he was unable to establish himself as a regular. The right-shot blueliner played in 48 games, contributing seven assists and six goals. That was scarcely remarkable in a contract year, and he was reduced to an RFA with very little negotiation power.
Given how the last three seasons played out, it was hardly surprising to see Kent Hughes sign him to a short term contract. When the Canadiens’ acquired him, they must have believed that he was going to be a key cog on the Habs blueline, but so far not only has he not showed he deserves a permanent seat at the table, but looking at the contracts Hughes handed out this Summer, undrafted gritty defenseman Arber Xhekaj is higher up on the salary scale. Furthermore, the way I see it, the Sheriff is much closer to booking a permanent spot in the defense corps.
About this season Barron has his work cut out for him if he wants to reverse the trend and avoid being overtaken in the hierarchy by David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux who are both right-shot defensemen knocking on the Canadiens’ door. As for the smooth skating and puck-moving aspect of his game, Lane Hutson is coming in fast and has showed a lot in two games. If the youngster keeps going that way, Barron could soon become a trade token.
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