The Sharks have claimed forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the Rangers, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reported after the Rangers waived him yesterday that San Jose was likely to snag him off the wire.
Goodrow, 31, officially returns to where his NHL career began as an undrafted free agent signing in 2014. He developed into a solid checking center/winger over the course of the next six years in the Bay Area, eventually landing with the Lightning via trade in 2020 and playing an important third-line role in their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
The Toronto native parlayed that into a six-year, $21.85MM deal with New York in 2021, one that hasn’t aged particularly well. Costing $3.642MM against the cap, he had just four goals and 12 points in 80 games in the regular season in 2023-24.
While Goodrow repaired his value in the postseason, tallying six goals in 16 games in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final, his cap hit had become affordable for a team in the peak of its contention window looking to make significant additions this summer. He’s never been able to match the two-way impact he had with the Lightning in New York, but he did at least contribute a respectable 30-plus points in each of his first two seasons in the Big Apple.
A major reason for his offensive decline this season was his deployment under head coach Peter Laviolette, who decreased his offensive zone start share at even strength from about 42% through two seasons to a paltry 23.5% in 2023-24, rarely getting him opportunities to contribute on the scoresheet. The Rangers forward with the second-most sparse offensive deployment, Jimmy Vesey, had 30.9% of his in-zone starts at even strength come in the offensive end.
The Sharks, who mustered just 181 goals last season compared to the Rangers’ 282, will rely on Goodrow offensively much more than that. Even if putting up points isn’t his main purpose as a versatile forward deployed in checking situations, it’s feasible that he’ll average north of 15 minutes per game and hover around the career-high 13 goals and 33 points he had with the Rangers in 2021-22.
Today’s claim also has considerable financial benefits for both teams. Most importantly, it leaves the Rangers off the hook for the remainder of Goodrow’s deal, which carried the aforementioned $3.6MM cap hit through 2027. For general manager Chris Drury, it’s a much cleaner and more preferable departure than buying him out, resulting in lasting cap ramifications for the next six years, or giving up assets to trade him away while retaining salary. It’s the closest thing to straight-up releasing a player the NHL has to offer without terminating a contract.
Meanwhile, the Sharks sat over $13MM below next season’s $65MM cap floor before claiming Goodrow. They now have under $10MM worth of cap hits to add to their books next season, a much more attainable figure for a team expected to be only mildly aggressive in free agency as they continue to rebuild.
In 268 games during his previous stint with the Sharks, Goodrow scored 26 goals and 71 points. It’s worth noting that Goodrow had a 15-team no-trade list in his contract but not a no-move clause – meaning he could have blocked a deal to San Jose if they’d been on his list. Instead, because he’s changing hands via waivers, he has no ability to nix the move.
Mazel Tov!!!!
Just under 13mil in cap
Pour one out for poor Barclay, now stuck in San Jose.
Mike Grier what you doing
Grier is helping out his old teammate Chris Drury for a cap hit the needed to shed. SMH.
It makes sense for SJS but I hate how they let NYR off the hook so much. I wonder if they could have got a pick from NYR to take this contract if they waited… guess they thought another rebuilder would claim him. Goodrow fits the profile though – good character to have around.
As mentioned in the article, with a fifteen team no trade list, if SJS was one, Goodrow could have blocked a trade. Without a no move clause, he couldn’t block a waiver claim. This was a workaround that didn’t allow for moving picks.
Welcome back home Barcly!
Agree with DevilShatk, that this lets Rangers off too easily. Was there waiver competition for goodrow? That’s seems unlikely; this was an opportunity to milk something else from Drury even if it was just another 4th round pick in 2028… I think it’s a decent pickup in the end as goodrow showed he could be more than a one-way contributor.
Win-win?
San Jose totally clueless should have gotten the Rangers to pony up a pick to take on the money 3 × 3.6
Rangers won the offseason right there. What does Drury have on them?
Sharks have cap space. That cap space is an asset and should be used as such. No idea what San Jose is doing here.
At the rate these transactions are going, there’ll be nothing to talk about on Free Agent Frenzy Day.
Best of luck to Mr Goodrow, it was quite a run at the end, just came up short against some cats
Kings should have traded PLD to SJ! Grier might be worse than Blake!
Listening to 690 TSN radio at Montreal they just brought up that there’s whispering the Rangers may target defenseman Arber Xhekaj
San Jose basically working towards the floor, getting a high quality veteran leader for their younger players, and buying a trade chip.
Goodrow at 50% retention ($1.8 million) will draw a whole lot of interest at the deadline when teams are looking for proven, bottom 6 playoff performers.
The sharks don’t have a retention slot until next off season though right?
Correct. As I’ve been saying since it happened, Hertl trade is godawful for taking that slot for 7 years or whatever it is
I think the move makes sense for San Jose, but what do I know. They need some short term contracts.
Xmas came early for the Rags, sheesh.
grier collecting bottom six forwards.. years of mediocrity right around the corner
I don’t get it. My ears must have been deceiving me as the two Rangers announcers Sam and Joe were always praising Barclay Goodrow and his clutch play. And then he becomes Mr. Nobody and gets cut loose by the Rangers.
I told a coworker last Sunday at an event we were at that we should trade or waive Goodrow, and if possible find a taker for Trouba. He was sure neither would happen because as he put it “Stat’s don’t tell their stories, you need to use the eye test”.
1 down, 1 to go.