Avalanche's Tyson Barrie: Begins arbitration process

Barrie proceeded with a salary arbitration hearing Friday after failing to reach a contract extension with the Avalanche, THN's Ken Campbell reports.

Analysis:

There is still an outside chance that Barrie's camp strikes a deal with the Avs before the arbitrator would need to settle on an amount. The puck-moving defenseman had been looking for a long-term extension, but two years is the maximum term for a player going through the arbitration process -- since Barrie was the one who elected for arbitration, the Avs get to decide the length of the contract. The 25-year-old's last contract was for three years and $2.7 million, but he's averaged 0.57 points per game over the course of his career and deserves a big raise.