Rangers coach believes Barclay Goodrow being replaced by ‘character person’

In the flurry of moves made throughout the July 1 NHL free-agent frenzy, Sam Carrick signing with the New York Rangers wasn’t a headline grabber. But for a team with little roster turnover coming off a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season, Carrick’s addition is a big deal.

That’s because, as a serious championship contender, each roster decision the Rangers make is important. There’s a “Does this move bring us closer to winning the Stanley Cup?” component to signing Carrick, or trading for Reilly Smith, or elevating Zac Jones into a regular role.

With the Rangers pushing up against the salary cap — and with large paydays in line for Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller before the 2025-26 season — there’s a financial component to each and every roster decision, as well.

But with Carrick, who agreed to an affordable three-year, $3 million contract with the Rangers, there’s also the fact he’s replacing a popular player in the lineup, one who’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner and was a key piece in New York’s leadership group the past three seasons.

However, coach Peter Laviolette appears to be good with Carrick replacing Barclay Goodrow as fourth-line center this season.

“It’s tough losing Barclay, but we replaced him with a character person that bangs bodies, will hit and fight for his teammates, chip in some offense and play some good defense,” Laviolette told NHL.com recently.

And the 32-year-old will do so for much less per season than Goodrow, who still has three years at $3.64 million annually remaining on his deal. That’s not insignificant. But he will have big skates to fill after Goodrow was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks in June.

Remember, Goodrow was a big part of the Rangers terrific penalty kill, a favorite of his teammates and a player who elevated his game significantly in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring six goals in 16 postseason games this past spring.

“That’s a friend for life, a guy that you expected to be suiting up with again,” Rangers forward Chris Kreider explained at the Shoulder Check Showcase charity event for mental health awareness in July.

New Rangers center Sam Carrick has big skates to fill

Though he doesn’t have the championship pedigree that Goodrow does, Carrick is a solid bottom-six player, who can also help the penalty kill. He also has a career 50.7 percent face-off winning percentage, including 51.0 percent with the Anaheim Ducks in 61 games last season and 63.1 percent over 16 games after being acquired by the Edmonton Oilers.

As Laviolette stated, Carrick is a physical player, too. He’s a solid 6-foot, 200-pounder who racked up an NHL career-high 102 penalty minutes last season, 12th most in the NHL. A fourth-line featuring Carrick, Matt Rempe and Jimmy Vesey should provide the Rangers with an important physical presence this season.

“He brings some grit, sandpaper, face-offs, some physicality,” Laviolette noted.

Carrick appeared in 10 playoff games for the Oilers this past spring, the first of his career, including Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. He won eight of 12 face-offs, was credited with two hits and picked up 12 penalty minutes near the end of the 4-1 defeat.

Though known more for his gritty play, Carrick did score 11 goals with the Ducks in 2021-22 and had 10 last season.

His addition to the Rangers lineup is no small thing. He and Smith are expected to be the only new forwards in the top 12 this season, unless a youngster like Brennan Othmann breaks through and earns a spot in training camp. And you can bet Carrick doesn’t want to disappoint the Rangers or do anything to disrupt the good thing they’ve got going.

By Jim Cerny

Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of... More about Jim Cerny