The Rangers wasted no time striking a deal with forward Barclay Goodrow, signing the pending free agent to a hefty six-year, $21.85 million contract, six days after acquiring him from the Lightning.
The 28-year-old Goodrow, whom Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury expects to bring experience coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup wins with Tampa Bay, will carry a cap hit of $3.642 million. The deal also includes a combined $2.25 million in signing bonuses over the next two seasons (plus $1.25 million in Year 6) and a 15-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.
Amid making a commitment to one player, the Rangers will be saying goodbye to another in an additional decision Thursday. The Post’s Larry Brooks reported the organization plans to move on from veteran defenseman Brendan Smith, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, after five seasons in a depth role for the Rangers.
After making an impression during the Lightning’s second straight Cup run, Goodrow became a target for Drury. The Rangers sent a 2022 seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for Goodrow, and Drury was able to get a jump on negotiations to ensure a deal would be made before the start of free agency on Wednesday.
“I think he’s pretty versatile,” Drury said of Goodrow on Monday. “I can see him doing a lot of different things for [coach] Gerard [Gallant], whether that’s more time in the middle, whether it’s faceoffs in the D-zone. We think he’s got a pretty complete game and he’s going to be able to help in a lot of different areas. He is a guy that we targeted and obviously went out and made a deal with Tampa [Bay] to get him early to get a jump on [the negotiating process].
“You know, he checks an awful lot of boxes that we’re previously discussed. … A little more straight-line approach. The bigger the game, the better he seems to play. He’s a winner. He’s able to walk in our locker room and talk about what it’s like to play in the playoffs and to win Cups.”
Goodrow has served in a third-line role the last two seasons with the Lightning, but his chemistry with center Yanni Gourde — who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft — and Blake Coleman played a major role in Tampa Bay’s second championship run.
After scoring six goals and dishing 14 assists in 55 regular-season games in 2020-21, Goodrow chipped in two goals and four assists in the playoffs.
The most valuable part of Goodrow’s game is probably his defense. He was one of the Lightning’s top penalty killers and has proven that — with the right linemates — he can contribute offensively as well.
As an undrafted forward out of the Ontario Hockey League, Goodrow signed with the Sharks in March 2014 and played parts of six NHL seasons in San Jose. The Sharks then traded Goodrow, along with a 2020 third-round pick, to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2020 first-rounder and Anthony Greco in February 2020.
In 331 NHL games, Goodrow has 32 goals and 61 assists with 304 penalty minutes.