Barclay Goodrow expected to ink lucrative 6-year deal with Rangers
Goodrow #Goodrow
Barclay Goodrow is about to cash on on his Stanley Cup success with the Lightning. (Getty)
Winning the Stanley Cup can do wonders to your bottom line.
After acquiring his negotiation rights, the New York Rangers are expected to sign forward Barclay Goodrow to a six-year contract worth in the range of $3.6 million annually, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Goodrow played a sizeable role on the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning teams, forming one third of their dominant utility third line with Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman — an integral dynamic missing from previous postseason runs. The three performed tremendously well versus top lines throughout the playoffs, routinely shutting down scoring units of the opposition and hitting the scoresheet on occasion themselves. Now it’s possible each will be lost through a combination of free agency or the expansion draft.
The contract is a jackpot, of sorts, for Goodrow, who earned $1 million in each of his last two seasons divvied between the Lightning and San Jose Sharks. He projects to be the fourth highest-paid forward and fifth highest overall next season for the Rangers, who are closer and closer to completing their rebuild having now added useful, but premium-priced, utility.
Previously acquired for a first-round draft pick, Goodrow is an undeniable asset but will be hard-pressed to meet the value tied to a secondary scorer price tag as a clear third-line, checking winger. However, he is coming off his most productive two seasons to date in terms of per-game production, scoring a career-high eight goals and 26 points in 70 games split between San Jose and Tampa 2019-20 and following that up with six goals and 20 points in 55 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Goodrow was at his best in the postseason for Tampa Bay, and more specifically throughout this latest Stanley Cup Final. He had points in four straight games to begin the NHL’s championship series after registering just a single point in the previous two series.
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It’s worth noting that his underlying data improved tremendously after the move from San Jose to the friendlier surroundings of Tampa Bay.
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