After arriving in Nashville on Thursday afternoon newly acquired defenseman Justin Barron joined some of his new teammates on the ice for practice ahead of taking on the Los Angeles Kings.
Barron will don the number 20 when he takes the ice as a member of the Predators organization and presumably, the first look of him in a game is against the Kings.
“It was a little surprising but my first instinct was that I was really excited and excited for this new opportunity,” Barron said of the trade to Nashville.
The Halifax, Nova Scotia native said for those who watch him to expect a two-way game with speed.
Additionally, he also likes to jump up in the rush when a lane opens, just a small microcosm of what to expect of him as he develops in Nashville’s system.
“I want to come in here and prove I’m the player I can be and at the end of the day try to mesh well with this team, help these guys win some games,” Barron said.
Forward Zachary L’Heureux is a former teammate of Barron’s from the 2020-21 season with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. While it was just one season together Barron was excited to be picked up by L’Heureux to go to his first practice with the Predators on Friday.
“It was my first time seeing him in quite a while but it was great to be back with him,” Barron said. “He’s been playing great up here. he made a great play on that breakout last night to spring that two-on-one. It certainly makes it easier coming into a new spot knowing someone like him.”
Looking back at when he heard the news that he’d been traded it was 9 p.m. Eastern when he got a phone call. Once he got off the phone he went right into a fervent effort to pack as much as possible for a flight.
“Flew out the next morning at 5 a.m. so it was a quick turnaround, but after a long travel day it was nice to get on the ice with the guys today and get back into a routine a little bit,” Barron said.
Like most upcoming prospects in the NHL one of the greatest assets to possess is speed. Barron said his strength is rooted in using his feet to be where he needs to be to make plays up and down the ice at all times.
The 23-year-old feels comfortable in his defensive zone as well but isn’t shy when he establishes offensive chances.
“I feel like I have a pretty good playmaking ability as well,” Barron said.
After already being traded once before in his professional career in 2021, Barron said the best way to get acclimated is to hop into a game. Once he does that the rest begins to fall in place.
Being a right-handed shot, Barron said he has exclusively played on his dominant side as a pro.
He’ll now be the third defenseman on Nashville’s team with that handedness, hopefully rounding out the Predators’ depth on the blue line once he’s fully settled in his new digs.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of the Nashville Predators
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