The New York Rangers placed forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers Tuesday to clear some cap space before NHL free agency opens in less than two weeks. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news.
A bit more:
Clearly, NYR doing this solely for cap reasons, seeing if there is another team interested.
Goodrow 6 goals in 16 playoff games, that’s his time of year https://t.co/Pglu9PZ7v0— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 18, 2024
The Rangers acquired Goodrow’s signing rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021 for a seventh-round draft selection. New York promptly signed him to a six-year contract with a $3.642 AAV which still has three years remaining on it.
Goodrow won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning as part of an energy line, penalty-killing role. New York has been to the Eastern Conference Finals in two of Goodrow’s three seasons with the club.
After two consecutive 30-point seasons with the Rangers, Goodrow struggled during the 2023-24 regular season and only amassed 12 points (4g, 8a) in 80 games. He made up for that with his postseason performance, recording eight points (6g, 2a) in 16 playoff games.
Dspite the statistical uptick in the spring, New York struggled mightily with him on the ice at five-on-five. The Rangers saw just 34.2 percent of the expected goals with Goodrow out on the ice.
The Rangers have placed Barclay Goodrow on waivers.
In the 2024 playoffs, Goodrow scored 6 goals on 15 shots while finishing with the lowest 5v5 on-ice shot and expected goal share of any forward with 150+ minutes played. #NYR pic.twitter.com/NJHdDEhr7o
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 18, 2024
If a team claims Goodrow, the Rangers will see his $3.642 million cap hit completely off their books. If he goes unclaimed, they still will save $1.15 million in cap room and are likely to go through the buyout process for the remaining three seasons of his contract once that window opens soon after the end of this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
A buyout would leave the Rangers on the hook for $1,111,111 million through 2029-30.
New York has two key upcoming restricted free agents in defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider who need new contracts. Erik Gustafsson, Chad Ruhwedel, Blake Wheeler, Alexander Wennberg, and Jack Roslovic are also scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
NHL free agency begins on July 1.
Update (2:04 pm): Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the San Jose Sharks have claimed Goodrow off of waivers from the Rangers. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reported rumblings of a pre-arranged deal that would allow the Sharks to claim Goodrow on Tuesday night.
SJ claims Goodrow
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 19, 2024
