The Rangers Don’t Need To Trade Goodrow For Cap Space

Ever since the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs in early May, all everyone can talk about is what potential moves can the team make going into the offseason. The one topic that is the most talked about is the Rangers moving on from Barclay Goodrow. The reason for this is that the Rangers don’t have much cap space and they have some key players to sign this summer.

So, fans and the media think this would be the most logical move as Goodrow doesn’t have the same trade protections as the other players who make the most money on this team. However, if the Rangers were to trade him, they would be losing a big piece of the locker room and a player who gives it all every night. The Rangers can survive not trading him and still have enough space to sign their players.

We can all agree that Goodrow’s contract is not the greatest and it’s been that way since the day he signed it. He still has four years left with a cap hit of $3,641,667 per season. This is reason number one why fans want him moved. With his money gone, it would make it easier for the Rangers to sign their players and make other moves with the freed-up cap space. On the flip side, the Rangers aren’t going to be to just dump his contract to another team.

They are going to need to attach draft picks just so another team could take him. The Rangers did this last summer with Patrick Nemeth and it cost them two-second picks. He was just bought out of his deal by the Coyotes. If it took that much just to move his deal and he made less money and had less term, what might it cost to move Goodrow?

The Rangers aren’t the only team with cap problems so it would cost them assets to move him. The Rangers should be holding on to the picks and using them in deals to get to other assets, not to give a player away.

It has also been brought up that the Rangers could potentially buy out his contract. While it would save them money over the next three seasons, they would still be paying him for the five years after. The Rangers just got finished paying the players they have bought out over the years like Dan Girardi, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Tony DeAngelo. Do they really want to have another buyout on their books for the next eight seasons? That is very unlikely.

Many will argue that it’s not a big deal since the salary cap is expected to jump after this upcoming season. While that is true, it still would be a poor decision to buy Goodrow out. It shows that the organization made a mistake and they feel they have to get rid of his deal one way or another. He was brought in to fill a specific void and he has done that quite well.

Goodrow came to the Rangers after winning two Stanley Cups in Tampa Bay. He was brought in because of his experience and he would help this young team become a Stanley Cup-contending team. He was been a very good player for his first two years in New York. He has had his best two offensive seasons with the Rangers scoring 33 and 31 points.

He has also been very reliable on the penalty kill and in the dying moments of the game when the Rangers need to hold on to the lead. He has provided toughness and heart and was one of the only noticeable players during their series against the Devils. He tried to get his team fired up and while it didn’t work, it shows that he still cared while the rest of the team quit. These players aren’t easy to find.

While trading or buying out Goodrow would save the Rangers cap space going forward, it would also be taking away from the team. He provides leadership and the heart that many of the players on this team lack. Let him play a season under a new head coach and see how he performs. He was occasionally used in a role he was not suited to by Gerard Gallant, so hopefully Peter Laviolette plays him on the third and fourth line where he plays his best. Goodrow is a key member of this team even though fans might not want to admit it.