I agree with this, for me if we miss out on Celebrini and draft 2nd I take Lindstrom, If we don't move up and Lindstrom is still available to us I take him. If both Lindstrom and Celebrini are gone, maybe you consider Eiserman (Demidov I would pass on strictly because of the Russian factor) or Levshunov but Zegras is already proven so I would consider trading our 1st for Zegras even if those 2 were on the board. We need a top flight forward and preferably one who can play center even if it means we go after either Zegras, PLD or Mittelstadt (if available) even if our pick is top 5 with all of Lindstrom, Celebrini and Eiserman gone.

The difference between Matheson/Petry and Barron is that Barron can't/won't clear the front of the net which is critical during a playoff run. Barron is a good sized guy who can play a great 2 way game but he just doesn't have the mean streak in him to make life tough on opposing forwards in front of the net. Guhle, Reinbacher, Mailloux, Xhekaj, Matheson, Savard, Kovacevic, Harris, Struble all play a tougher game than Barron, for me this is a main reason he isn't part of the long term future. We will already have Hutson who will struggle to move players we don't want both of our top 4 pairings to struggle with netfront control especially in the playoffs.

This for sure. Barron has already proven that offensively he's top 4 quality. Defensively, he's been too inconsistent. But the comparison to Petry is good. Petry was a defensive liability in EDM and even the first few years in MTL. But Petry really rounded out his game towards his late 20s.
So if MTL has a 22 year old version of Perty with Barron, I'd have no issues being patient with him. Petry ended up becoming a top20 Dman during his prime.

I do understand the need to move the Habs D prospects for more forwards, but imo RD still isn't deep enough with Reinbacher and Mailloux (who have played zero NHL games yet). Barron is still very much needed. Not to mention that Savard could be on his way out. Making RD even thinner.
That being said, I wouldn't be opposed to a Barron trade, but a prospect swap makes very little sense. I could see Barron being a piece in a bigger deal for more elite talent.

I would not take Eiserman. We need a player who can generate scoring chances. Eiserman is a great finisher, but he basically plants himself in the ice and waits for the puck, he never scores in motion.

The Petry comparison is apt. Not sure if you remember Perty's first few seasons with MTL, but he was terrible defensively (I'd argue more than Barron's defensive struggles now...). And Petry didn't have a mean bone in his body for quite some time. (Remember Therrien's "They soft!" comment lol). Being patient with Barron is fine. His offensive transition game is already elite, and offensive zone cycle game is already solid top 4 level. Defensive transition game I'd say is 3rd pairing levels, and defensive zone coverage is not NHL quality yet.

That's a fair criticism, but it's something that can be improved. He has the size, may need a little more muscle, and you don't need to be mean to be physical (though it can help).

I like Barron, I really do and I would love to keep him if he just used his size and strength to clear the front of the net a bit more. I live D men with size and transition play, I just want them to be more physical as well.