It’s the Final Countdown. We’re just over one week away from the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story each day leading up to the deadline.

Today, we’re going to hone in on St. Louis Blues winger Ivan Barbashev, who captured the attention of the league with a breakout season last year but has regressed to the mean in his contract season.

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 10 days

IVAN BARBASHEV

• Left Winger, St. Lous Blues
• Shoots: Left
• Age: 27
• Cap Hit: $2.25 million
• Term: Pending UFA
• Trade Clauses: No restrictions
• Stats: 56 GP, 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, 16:18 avg TOI
• Career: 7th season (all with St. Louis), 407 games, 78 goals, 177 points, 13:46 avg TOI

Archetype and Ideal Role

Secondary scoring winger. Third line.

Barbashev has shown the ability to play up and down the lineup as a classic elevator player. But if he’s playing on your third line, that means your team is deep and ready to make an authentic run at a Stanley Cup.

Scouting Report

Here’s the thing about Barbashev: He doesn’t fit neatly into any one box and is a nightmare for anyone working on an Archetype Ranking series project like the one we did earlier this season on Daily Faceoff. He is a solid, middle-six NHL forward with a lot of strong attributes – but none that sticks out as elite, hence the third line fit and role as a secondary scorer.

Barbashev competes hard in all three zones and is responsible. Even though he isn’t ‘fast,’ he doesn’t cheat for offense. He contests pucks by getting into slot lanes, finishes checks, and presents a strong support option for his defensemen to break pucks out of the zone.