Good start to Rangers offseason as Sharks claim Barclay Goodrow off waivers

The New York Rangers offseason got off to a very positive start with the news that Barclay Goodrow was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The 31-year-old forward returns to the Sharks, where he began his NHL career in 2014-15.

It’s a massive win for the Blueshirts because they move the final three years of Goodrow’s contract off their books, a salary cap savings of $3.6 million per season. New York now has $13.695 million in projected cap space.

Mollie Walker of the New York Post first reported the possibility that the Sharks would claim Goodrow, who landed on the waiver wire Tuesday.

“By placing Goodow on waivers, the Rangers allow themselves some cap flexibility no matter what happens,” Mollie Walker of the New York Post wrote Tuesday . “Though there is belief there is a pre-arranged deal for the Sharks to claim Goodrow, who spent the first six seasons of his NHL career in San Jose.”

Goodrow has a 15-team no-trade clause, and while it’s unknown whether or not San Jose was on that list, it didn’t prevent the Sharks from claiming him off waivers.

“There is definitely a lot of smoke around San Jose,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts . “We know San Jose is looking for veterans. One of the things I’m kinda wondering about here is, maybe Goodrow can’t be traded to San Jose, but because he doesn’t have a no-move clause, he can’t block being claimed by them on waivers.”

If Goodrow hadn’t been claimed by another team, the Rangers likely would have bought out the remainder of his six-year contract. That would’ve given them an extra $247,000 in cap credit . Of course, they would have had dead money on the books if Goodrow was bought out, including $3.5 million in 2026-27.

But that’s a moot point now.

Related: Patrick Kane could want to ‘make it right’ with Rangers

Rangers gain $3.6 million in cap space after Barclay Goodrow claimed by Sharks

Goodrow tallied 71 points in 268 games with San Jose, who signed him to an entry-level contract in 2014 after he went undrafted.

San Jose landed the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and is expected to take the consensus best-available prospect, Macklin Celebrini of Boston University. They already have Will Smith, last year’s No. 4 overall pick, in their system. After finishing dead last in the League this past season, they are searching for veteran talent to bolster that development process.

With over 500 games of NHL experience and a pair of Stanley Cup rings, Goodrow certainly provides that.

The Sharks also added forward Ty Dellandrea on Wednesday, acquiring him in a trade with the Dallas Stars for a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft.

Now that the Rangers won’t need to buy Goodrow’s contract out, it might make be more possible to buy out captain Jacob Trouba, which would provide another $4 million in savings against the salary cap this season. Though that move would also mean the Rangers had to fill another spot on their defense corps.

Subscribe now on YouTube and be part of a community where passion for the New York Rankers knows no bounds!

More must-reads:

• Why Rangers should pursue Jonathan Marchessault in NHL free agency
• Here’s how Rangers free-agency plan may not be what’s expected
• Rangers options to replace Barclay Goodrow after center claimed by Sharks