Barbashev is a physical middle six winger, who had a career year offensively last season, potting 26 goals and 60 points in 81 games. This year, his production has been down with only 10 goals and 29 points through 59 games, but the Blues' team offence has been atrocious. On an expiring contract of only $2.25M, it's a very affordable addition to a cap-strapped Vegas team.
Interestingly, this may affect Vegas' ability to acquire Timo Meier, who were heavily rumoured to be interested in as this morning.
Depending on the assets spent in this trade, and how the salary cap math adds up, it may be impossible or highly unlikely that Vegas could acquire Meier. However, it's also part of Vegas' brand to swing big at all times, so with the shrewd addition of Barbashev, we now watch if Vegas has anything left to push their team through a weaker western conference.
