The trade deadline acquisition to produce the most playoff points was not Patrick Kane or Ryan O’Reilly as some may have predicted two months ago. Instead it was Ivan Barbashev; ending his postseason campaign with 7 goals and 18 points in 22 games en route to his second Stanley Cup. The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues in late february in exchange for forward prospect Zach Dean.

The Russian forward’s aforementioned 18 playoff points were enough to crack the top 10 among all players while also accruing 64 hits which was second among all Golden Knights. Barbashev’s unique blend of offensive punch, physicality, and ability to play centre and wing should make him an attractive top-six unrestricted free agent (UFA) option.

Barbashev entered the 2022-23 season coming off a career-year where he amassed 26 goals and 60 points in 81 games. He struggled to maintain that pace to begin this season with just 29 points 59 games for the St. Louis Blues. However, Barbashev was able to find his offensive touch after the move to Vegas as evident by his 16 points in 23 games to finish out the regular season.

The 27-year-old is in line for a hefty pay raise from his current cap hit of $2.25M. Some recent contract comparables based on age and production include Valeri Nichushkin ($6.125M x 8 years in 2022), Andre Burakovsky ($5.5M x 5 years in 2022), Bryan Rust ($5.125M x 6 years in 2022), and Pavel Zacha ($4.75M x 4 years in 2023). It’s safe to assume Barbashev’s next contract features a cap hit between $5-6.5 million with 5-7 years of term. While Barbashev is the type of player any team could benefit from adding, there exists a handful of destinations that could afford his services all the while putting him in a position to regain his 60-point pace with regularity.

Vegas Golden Knights

The sample size may be small but it sure looked like the Barbashev-Vegas relationship was mutually beneficial. It seems obvious that Vegas should look to keep Barbashev in the fold long-term, although General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has multiple free agent goaltenders (Adin Hill and Laurent Brossoit) to consider as well. McCrimmon has roughly $8.5M in cap-space to work with this summer, will that be enough to keep his championship roster intact?

Spoke with Ivan Barbashev about his future given he's a pending UFA.

"To be honest. I want to stay in Vegas. 100 percent. I love the city. I love the team. I love the organization. … We'll wait until the playoffs are over and then we'll probably talk about it." #VegasBorn

— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) June 4, 2023

Toronto Maple Leafs

While contract extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander might be top priority for Brad Treliving on July 1st, he’d be wise to monitor potential replacements for up to 10 outgoing free agents off the Maple Leafs roster. The Leafs are expected to be in the hunt for a top-six left winger; assuming Michael Bunting hits free agency and Matthew Knies will be playing lower in the lineup to start next season. Barbashev is an ideal candidate to replace Bunting as the primary option on left wing beside Matthews and Mitch Marner. Barbashev mostly rode shotgun alongside Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault this postseason; making him the 3rd best player on his line. It’s a role he thrived and one that could be emulated by the Maple Leafs. Barbashev could also provide insulation to the centre position in the event Matthews or John Tavares get injured.

Colorado Avalanche

The 2022 Stanley Cup Champions spent this season longing for the days when Nazem Kadri was their second-line pivot. They tried numerous players in the 2C-hole including Evan Rodrigues and Alex Newhook before settling on J.T. Compher; who’s also a pending UFA. The latter performed adequately by chipping in 17 goals and a career high 52 points. Colorado’s title defence ended surprisingly early at the hands of the Seattle Kraken in round 1 of the postseason. Might Avalanche General Manager Joe Sakic look to reshape his roster after that result? Sakic will has $20M in cap space after factoring in that Gabriel Landeskog will be on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) next season.