Barclay Goodrow in the waivers: the result of a secret agreement with another team?

The Rangers surprised everyone yesterday by putting Barclay Goodrow’s name forward for the waivers. Surprise, because waivers in the middle of the Stanley Cup Finals are usually a quiet affair…

But also because Barclay Goodrow collected six goals and two assists in the last playoffs. He’s not the reason the Rangers didn’t go all the way…

But Chris Drury knows he’ll need money to extend Igor Shesterkin’s contract until July 2025, he’s aware that some pieces will have to be added to his roster to make it further next spring, and he can see that the salary cap increase won’t be enough to do all that well.

It must be said that Goodrow didn’t have a good season – he collected just 12 points in 80 games, in addition to posting a minus-13 cumulative differential – and that Rangers management had probably decided to part ways with Goodrow even before the playoffs began.

What’s going to happen with Goodrow? We’ll have the answer at 2pm today…

But according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post – and as picked up by Max Millier of The Hockey News – there’s reason to believe that the Rangers put Goodrow up for waivers because they knew the Sharks would claim him.

It would be a kind of trade for nothing, but via the waivers route, not the usual transaction channel.

Remember that the Sharks have first dibs on the waivers, given their 32nd overall ranking.

Why didn’t you just trade Goodrow to San Jose? I don’t know. Maybe Goodrow had put the City of San Jose, where he started his career, on the no-trade list (15 teams)?

Something else to think about: taxes are about 2.5% higher in California… and playing for the Sharks isn’t exciting in the short term for a 31-year-old.

We know that the Sharks are looking for veterans to mentor their youngsters (Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini and company) during their rebuild. Goodrow, who won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, fits the bill.

If Goodrow goes unclaimed today, the Rangers could decide to buy out his contract once the Stanley Cup Final is over (48 hours later), and he would be free to sign wherever he likes.

Once again, Mollie Walker points out that the Sharks could be interested in Goodrow if he becomes an unrestricted free agent, especially as it would cost them less per season than simply claiming him at the waivers.

So it all seems to hinge on whether or not Goodrow is willing to return to San Jose…

Goodrow is under contract for three more seasons at an average annual salary of $3.641 million. A possible contract buyout wouldn’t handcuff the Rangers all that much…

See you around 2:01 pm…

Overtime

– I’ll be at Stade Saputo tonight for the Montreal CF… and at Stade Percival-Molson tomorrow for the Alouettes. 27 hours of sports in Montreal!

– Demidov or Buium in Montreal?

This from an NHL source this morning. “There’s a lot of talk that it’s going to be either Demidov or Buium at five but it’s hard to pin down. The Denver staff thinks he could go as high as 5. They give me the impression that Montreal loves him.”

The plot thickens. I think that…

– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) June 19, 2024