The New York Rangers have waived forward and two-time Stanley Cup champion Barclay Goodrow.
The Rangers placed Goodrow on waivers on June 18 as a potential NHL salary cap-savings maneuver. If a team claims Goodrow, his entire salary cap goes to the new team. But, if he goes unclaimed, the Rangers will have the option to buy out the remaining seasons of his contract when the buyout window opens, which is 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Finals end.
Goodrow has three years left on the six-year $21.85 million contract that pays him $3.641 million per season. Goodrow signed the contract on July 22, 2021.
If the Rangers do buyout Goodrow, New York would get a $247k cap credit next season, according to PuckPedia.
After getting the cap credit next season, the Rangers would have a $1 million cap hit in 2025-26, and then a $3.5 million cap hit in 2026-27 before going to $1.11 million from the next three years.
Goodrow won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021 after being acquired by the team at the trade deadline in 2020 on Feb. 24. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, he left the team in free agency to sign with the Rangers.
In New York, Goodrow has struggled to produce much offense as this past season, he recorded just 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 80 games. But, in the playoffs, he did add 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in 16 games.
Rangers GM Says Nothing is Off The Table
After the Florida Panthers eliminated New York in the Eastern Conference Finals, Rangers general manager Chris Drury said nothing was off the table.
“We’re looking at a lot of different things,” Drury said to the media on June 7, via New York Post. “And there’s different ways to get to where we want to go. To me, really, nothing’s off the table. We’re trying to be better. We’re trying, as I said, to reach the ultimate goal here. In the middle of that process now and trying to figure out what’s next and what can we do to be better.”
New York was looking to find any way to improve their roster, and buying out Goodrow could be the first step in that.
“We’re looking at a lot of different options,” Drury said. “Some internal, some external, whether it’s through trade or free agency. For me, Mika and Chris are terrific players. Can drive a line all by themselves. We’re going to continue to look and explore and try to find someone that could become a good fit for them.”
New York enters the offseason with just over $9 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
Jacob Trouba Another Potential Buyout Candidate
New York defenseman Jacob Trouba has also been a potential buyout candidate.
Trouba has two years left on his seven-year $56 million deal he signed in 2019. However, the defenseman had his struggles down the stretch and in the playoffs, which is why he has been mentioned as a potential buyout candidate.
Trouba has been with the Rangers since he was dealt from the Winnipeg Jets to New York on June 17, 2019. He was named the captain of New York on August 9, 2022.
Trouba recorded 3 goals and 19 assists for 22 points in 69 regular season games this past year, while adding 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points in 16 playoff games.
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