Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is defenseman Justin Barron. 

24 Nashville Predators in 24 days series 

Adam Wilsby

Jordan Oesterle

Andreas Engulund

Cole Smith

Michael McCarron 

As an NHL prospect 

Barron entered the 2020 NHL Draft as one of the top defensemen in his class. 

He had spent three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL, tallying 81 points in 153 games and helping the Mooseheads to an appearance in the 2019 Memorial Cup, which was hosted in Halifax. 

Barron was played in the CHL's Canada/Russia series and the top NHL prospects game and was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie team in 2018. In the NHL draft, he was selected 25th overall by the Colorado Avalanche.

He'd return to Halifax for the 2020-21 season, scoring 31 points in 33 games and competing for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, finishing as runner-up. 

Professional career 

Barron joined the Colorado Eagles for their final seven games of the regular season in 2021, scoring four points in seven games. He also had three points in two playoff games.

The next season, he played the majority of games with the Eagles, tallying 20 points in 43 games. He made his NHL debut that year, playing in two games. 

In March 2022, Barron was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Artturi Lehkonen. He played five games with the Canadiens, scoring two points. For the 2022-23 season, Baron split time between Montreal and Laval, with the large sum of games being played with the Canadiens. 

He scored 15 points in 39 games with Montreal and 16 points in 25 games with the Rocket. Barron also returned to the international stage, playing for Canada at the IIHF World Championship. 

Barron split time again during the 2023-24 season, scoring 13 points in 48 games with Montreal and 11 points in 32 games with Laval. 

In December 2024, Montreal traded Barron to Nashville for defenseman Alexandre Carrier. Barron played 17 games with the Canadiens that season, scoring one point. 

In Barron's first year in Nashville, he had 12 points in 45 games. He is currently second year of a 2-year, $2.3 million contract. 

What role will he play this season? 

Barron already has an edge coming into this season: he's a righty shot.

The Predators have a lot of lefties but very few righties. While this doesn't have a huge impact on what the Predators can do on defense, it does help to have players on their preferred sides of the ice. 

Barron has yet to really break out. His best season was with the Canadiens in 2022-23, where he had 15 points in 39 games. He's also not taking a ton of penalty minutes, meaning that this could be a player the Predators look to amplify. 

Barron has done a lot of shifting back and forth over his career, so having him in one place for an entire season may allow him to find a rhythm he hasn't been able to establish during his career so far. 

If he can really find his game, the Predators could use him in some big spots. However, for now, he will likely be sitting in the bottom pairing between himself and Nick Blankenburg. 

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