New York waived playoff stud Barclay Goodrow on Tuesday and he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The 31-year-old carries a $3.64 million cap hit for three more seasons after scoring four goals and 12 points in 80 games with the Rangers in 2023-24.
Goodrow had six goals in 16 playoff games during New York's 2023-24 playoff run but has been placed on waivers on Tuesday to buy out his contract. The 31-year-old has three more seasons remaining at a $3.6 million cap hit if he were to be claimed be any of the other 31 NHL teams.
Goodrow played only 2:58 time-on-ice on Tuesday, did not participate in practice Thursday, and is considered day-to-day ahead of the Rangers' next game on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. Goodrow has one point in his last seven games (0G / 1A) playing primarily alongside Jimmy Vesey and Tyler Pitlick.
Woodrow will miss Saturday's matchup vs. Minnesota as he left the team due to the birth of his child and should be back for the Rangers game Tuesday. The 30-year-old has struggled so far in 2023-24, with no goals, one assist, four SOG, and 12 PIMs through 10 games played.
Goodrow missed Game 2 and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury. Dryden Hunt replaced him in the lineup and will likely remain in while Goodrow is sidelined.
Goodrow won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning but they did not have the cap-space to keep him around for the future. He was acquired by the Rangers for a seventh-round pick on July 19th and signed a six-year extension a few days later. He brings very little offensively but will be a huge part of the Rangers' bottom-6 and penalty kill.
Goodrow is a pending UFA, so the Rangers sent a seventh-round pick to the Lightning to try and sign him ahead of free agency opening up on July 28th. Goodrow is an outstanding two-way forward who was a huge part of the Lightning's success as a bottom-6 centre. Brett Howden was sent to the Golden Knights on Saturday, so Goodrow would likely replace him if they can get him under contract.
Goodrow was hurt in a seemingly meaningless game vs. the Panthers and will likely miss part of the playoffs after being listed as "out indefinitely." Luckily for the Lightning, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are expected to be back for the postseason.
This is a bit of a surprising return for an undrafted 26-year-old with just 24 points (8G / 16A) in 62 games this season. However, he is under contract next season with a very small $925K cap-hit, which is good news for a cap-strapped Lightning team. Goodrow has good size (6-foot-2, 215 lbs) and is a capable penalty killer that really bolsters Tampa Bay's fourth line.
Goodrow has yet to appear in a single game yet this season at any level. Last season he had just one assist in three games with the Sharks, but picked up 25 goals and 20 assists (45 points) in 61 games with the Barracuda (AHL).
