New York Rangers player preview: F Barclay Goodrow

Last month, the New York Rangers acquired the signing rights of forward Barclay Goodrow for a 2022 seventh-round pick. He was expected to have plenty of takers, so the Rangers opted to get ahead of the game and take a gamble. It ended up working out for them, as the Rangers of course then signed him to a six-year extension. It will have an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $3,641,667, so it is more expensive than what people would have expected.

However, Goodrow’s hard work ethic and strong depth scoring was a notable reason why the Lightning would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Although he was by no means the star of the team, he formed amazing chemistry on a line with Blake Coleman and Yanni Gourde.

This past season was also his best one to date, as he scored six goals and recorded 20 points in 55 games. The Rangers are hoping that he can continue to go down this direction, as it would him make him an excellent addition to their forward group. He also left an impact during the postseason, too. In 18 games, he scored two goals and had six total points, while also being a real physical force against opponents.

Where will Goodrow fit into the Rangers’ lineup?

What is beautiful about a player like Goodrow is that he can play all three forward positions. Therefore, if the Rangers choose to, they can elect to move him around the lineup if needed. With the Rangers, It is very likely that the 28-year-old will be deployed on the team’s third-line based on his past success.

At this said time, Daily Faceoff envisions him playing left wing for the third-line with Filip Chytil at center and Chris Kreider on his off-wing. If they elect to use this trio, it would not be surprising to see Goodrow on the right and Kreider on the left. Kreider seems more confident playing left wing and Goodrow has already proved that he can succeed whilst on the right wing.

The Rangers have a nice mix of veteran and young wingers, so we may see plenty of changes throughout the season. Yet, Goodrow on the third-line seems to be definite no matter which position he ends up playing. This is the role that he was made for and why the Rangers brought him in.  It is hard to envision newcomers like Sammy Blais or Ryan Reaves knocking him down the lineup, too.

When it comes to special teams, expect to see Goodrow as a primary penalty killer. With the Lightning, he played on their top penalty-kill unit because of his reliable defensive play. Clearly it worked out for them with him killing penalties. That is something that should benefit the Rangers immensely, as many of their top players are more offensively-driven. He will simply provide more balance.

He also plays a very heavy game.

Every player who the Rangers have brought in this off-season all seem to play a physical game and are hard to play against. Blais and Reaves will provide plenty of that grit to the fourth-line. Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi both will bring more size to the backend, with the latter providing some extra toughness, too. Without much of a surprise, Goodrow also is another player who will throw a lot of hits.

In 63 total regular season games with the Lightning, Goodrow threw 133 hits, which is not a number to ignore. Also, throughout the entirety of his 331-game NHL career, he has 553 total hits. Thus, he is a player who will continuously throw the body and cause real havoc on the forecheck. This is a huge reason why the Rangers were so adamant on bringing him.

He also is no stranger to dropping the gloves and can handle himself quite well in the process. This isn’t necessarily a much-needed component for the team, as they have Reaves for that department. Yet, it is also never a bad thing to have a quality player who can energize the guys every once in awhile. Here’s an example of what he can provide in this regard. The man packs a mean punch.

At the end of the day, this signing does come with some risk when looking at its term. Goodrow is getting a good amount of money with that, but even with this being so, it very well could be worth it in the end. It is always fantastic to add a proven winner in this league who also can give a little bit of everything.