DENVER — Tyson Barrie had plenty on his to-do list during the Maple Leafs’ lone visit this season to the Mile High City.
A win against his former team, the Colorado Avalanche, on Saturday night would be foremost. Dinner with ex-teammate Nathan MacKinnon, among other plans, was in store for Friday night.
And perhaps check in with his tenant, who just happens to be Nazem Kadri.
Barrie and Kadri had met a few times yet didn’t know each other well when they went opposite ways in the trade between the Leafs and Avs last summer. Their similar situations led to exchanges of texts, and they eventually agreed to live in each other’s homes for the 2019-20 season.
“I was not going to rent my place out and I don’t think he had plans to with his either and then we got in touch and it was ‘Hey, what do you think about this? Yeah, maybe this could work,’” Barrie said. “And it did. It made it really easy. We both trusted each other, stepped into each other’s homes and it has been a good fit so far.
“It’s different. We’re building a relationship and we don’t really know each other that well.”
While Barrie knew that facing MacKinnon for the first time will present some large challenges, the Leafs pondered the same with Kadri.
The Leafs miss Kadri’s willingness to get his nose into opponents’ business. Kadri has had a good start with Colorado, recording 15 points in 22 games.
“It’s going to be interesting with the way he plays hard, in your face,” Leafs centre Auston Matthews said. “I’m sure this is the game he had circled on his calendar for a long time.”
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
