In the hours since the NHL’s expansion draft trade feeze has been lifted, teams have wasted no time devolving into madness.
The New York Rangers added to the chaos on Thursday afternoon with a move of their own, signing forward, Barclay Goodrow to a six-year, $21.85 million contract extension worth an average annual value of $3.642 million after acquiring his signing rights for a seventh-round pick over the weekend.
The details of the agreement, such as any no-move clauses and salary structure, have yet to be disclosed.
This is quite the commitment for a player of Goodrow’s caliber.
Of course, the 28-year-old is coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving as a key member of their terrific third-turned-second line that played a large part in the team’s eventual success. Those are accolades that no one can take away from him. But Goodrow’s career-high of 26 points doesn’t exactly paint him as much of an offensive dynamo. And while scoring is not the only way a player can provide value, those who contribute in ways that reside outside the stat sheet don’t tend to age gracefully, either.
Goodrow will be 34 when this deal expires, almost certainly past his prime and with some serious tread on his tires, to boot. While Goodrow may fit what this up-and-coming Rangers team needs right now, the $3.6 million being taken up by a bottom-six winger may become onerous on New York’s cap sheet when the likes of Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, Igor Shesterkin, and K’Andre Miller come due for new deals of their own in the near future.
Regardless, newly-appointed general manager, GM Chris Drury has made one thing clear: he came to play.