The Vegas Golden Knights have made a move to add some depth to their team for the rest of the season and playoffs, and have done so by acquiring Ivan Barbashev.
Trade: Vegas has acquired Ivan Barbashev from the Blues for a prospect.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 26, 2023
Update: Vegas announced Zach Dean is headed to St. Louis
🔄 The Golden Knights have acquired forward Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Zach Dean. Welcome to Vegas, Ivan! #VegasBorn | #TheGoldenAgehttps://t.co/XhFJXDKOwS
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 26, 2023
Dean was selected 30th overall during the 2021 draft, and plays for the Gatineau Olympiques. This year he’s posted a line of 24-25-49 in 38 games. He was considered the team’s 3rd-best prospect according to The Athletic’s prospect rankings.
Barbashev had his breakout season with the Blues in 2021-22 with 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points in 81 games while playing 16:26 a night. This year things haven’t gone as well, as he’s got a line of 10-19-29 in 59 games while averaging 16:24 a game.
Here’s an analytical look at how he’s played this year vs. last year via Evolving-Hockey.
The good thing is that the Golden Knights are a little more put together than the Blues, and the defensive structure put in place by Bruce Cassidy should help Barbashev and his defensive deficiencies.
Even though the team has acquired Barbashev, the Golden Knights reportedly are still in on the Timo Meier sweepstakes according to Darren Dreger.
My sense…this does not take Vegas out of the mix on Timo Meier. As @PierreVLeBrun reported earlier, it’s down to @NJDevils and @GoldenKnights for the coveted forward. https://t.co/HEJdqzB2P0
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 26, 2023
This is a story in progress, so stay tuned for more updates here.