On Wednesday, the New York Rangers made their first major trade of the offseason when they sent veteran forward Barclay Goodrow to the San Jose Sharks via waivers.
Goodrow has a $3,641,667 cap hit as he enters the fourth year of a six-year contract.
Goodrow has a 15-team no-trade clause, however waivers are not covered by this clause. Rangers general manager Chris Drury has come up with a fantastic workaround if Goodrow had the Sharks on his list.
Goodrow was a misguided signing by the Rangers from the beginning. While Goodrow did play a significant role in Tampa Bay’s two Stanley Cup victories, context is crucial.
Goodrow was employed on the wing by Tampa as the third-best player on a checking line after being acquired for a meager $925K cap cost.
The Rangers overpaid him for four cap hits that he signed, frequently playing him as a bottom-six center or second-line wing.
Goodrow could not and would never live up to that price, not even in his finest moments. Even worse, Goodrow’s season was not very successful, as he only managed four goals and twelve assists in 80 games.
In contrast to his predecessor Gerard Gallant, head coach Peter Laviolette did not hold high regard for Goodrow even when he was playing well.
In the worst of times for the team, he started Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski over Goodrow at third-line center, only briefly moving him up to the position during the regular season or playoffs.
Goodrow asserted that he was prepared for the postseason. With six goals in 16 games this spring, he did, in a sense, deliver.
But considering that he had only scored six goals in his previous 81 playoff games, Goodrow shot an incredible 40 percent.
According to Evolving Hockey, the Rangers had an expected goals percentage of 33.2 percent in the playoffs and were thoroughly embarrassed throughout his minutes at even strength.
Goodrow’s success in Tampa Bay was not due to his unique skill set or ability to dominate in the postseason, but rather to his ability to surpass his cap hit while playing a position that fit him.
In an attempt to get him to play a larger role than he is capable of, the Rangers overpaid him. There was no longer any magic.
Goodrow is a fourth-line winger who can kill penalties at this point in his career. These players are available in free agency for significantly less than $2 million per season, but they have already been used.
To be honest, the Rangers have benefited greatly by the San Jose Sharks removing Goodrow’s contract from their books.
