On June 19, the San Jose Sharks did the New York Rangers a little bit of a favor by claiming the three-year, $3.64 million cap-hit contract of ahead Barclay Goodrow off of waivers. He has a modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) and is 31 years outdated.
The Rangers now have much more cash to work with within the offseason and freed up a roster spot, whereas the Sharks are making strikes to be compliant with the ground. What does this transfer imply for San Jose?
Sharks Carry Again a Acquainted Face
As a substitute of overpaying free brokers for the subsequent few seasons to achieve the team-wide required wage, the Sharks did the easy factor and introduced again a well-known face to play some fourth-line minutes. All groups have to spend a sure sum of money, so the rebuilding Sharks determined that spending a few of that cash on a former participant was the very best plan of action. In 268 video games with San Jose from 2014-2020, he had 26 targets and 45 assists for 71 factors.
To place it bluntly, Goodrow was not good for the Rangers from the time he signed there in 2021-22 to the time he left. He graded out poorly each offensively and defensively for New York in 2023-24 and was compelled right into a depth function for the workforce, scoring 12 factors in 80 video games. He did have a strong scoring output within the playoffs with six targets in 16 video games, however he had an unsustainable capturing proportion of 40 and nonetheless wasn’t the very best defensively.
With that being stated, the Sharks didn’t purchase Goodrow to be an efficient fourth-line participant on the ice. He’s there to be a veteran affect for a younger San Jose workforce that has Will Smith, William Eklund, Quentin Musty, and the primary total decide for the 2024 NHL Draft which is all however assured to be Macklin Celebrini. Goodrow can present safety for these kids and provides them some pointers after they want it.
Goodrow’s contract solely lasts three extra seasons, and the Sharks are most likely not going to be able the place they should maximize their cap house by the point that final season comes round. They might have at all times gone for a greater participant, however Goodrow may additionally be a commerce piece down the road. He has an upside as a penalty killer, so not every little thing is unfavorable with him.
The Rangers ought to be thanking the Sharks for bettering their wage cap state of affairs, however they had been serving to themselves on the finish of the day. San Jose has a really brilliant future, so that they’re attempting to assist these younger guys out by going after a participant who ought to be prepared to each defend and instruct them over the subsequent three years.
