But how many mistakes can one D-corps be allowed to sustain?
I targeted Barron earlier this season (in my admittedly inexpert ‘eye test’) as a guy who was disproportionately responsible for several bungled, easy plays to clear the puck out, leading directly to sustained pressure in our own zone. He seems to have had more trouble than even the rest of these Keystone Kops at adapting to The System.
I think the Habs have concluded that his ceiling is limited and are unwilling to make a bad team situation worse by dressing him as a charity case.
If they are wrong about that - if Barron blossoms elsewhere as a second-pairing guy - then it will prove to be a major error in judgement by this group. But right now, I think that’s where we’re at.
He’ll probably be given one more chance, dressed for a handful of games, and if there’s no improvement, he’ll be dealt…eventually.