Devils Should Avoid Intriguing Forward on Waiver Wire

The New Jersey Devils’ rival, the New York Rangers, waived an intriguing forward Tuesday afternoon. Barclay Goodrow is now on the waiver wire as Rangers General Manager, Chris Drury, attempts to clear cap space to address other needs for New York this summer. The Devils will be looking for a bottom-six forward or two in the offseason, however, they should avoid claiming Goodrow off waivers.

There are a handful of reasons to look at Goodrow and think he would be an intriguing add to help any young team aspiring to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For starters, Goodrow was a big part of the Tampa Bay Lightning squad who claimed back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. When the Lightning won for the first time in 2020, Goodrow was a force to be reckoned with physically, throwing 103 hits and blocking 31 shots in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games, while adding a goal and six points to the stat sheet.

In his encore performance with Tampa Bay, he was less effective physically, totaling 68 hits and 13 blocked shots, however, matched his point total from the postseason prior, scoring two goals and six points.

Goodrow was quite effective in the 2024 postseason for the Rangers, too. The 31-year-old forward scored six goals and eight points — a career high in both categories — in 16 playoff games.

In the regular season, Goodrow has always been good for 100-plus hits a year, and for the most part lived in the 20 points or more range as a bottom-six forward.

That’s pretty decent for playing at the bottom of a lineup. In fact, Goodrow eclipsed the 30-point mark with the Rangers in back-to-back seasons on Broadway, collecting 13 goals and 33 points in 2021-22 and 11 goals and 31 points in 2022-23.

Therefore, Goodrow’s familiarity with former teammate and current Devils forward Ondrej Palat during the cup runs, his postseason effectiveness, Stanley Cup pedigree, and regular season grit should make him an intriguing add, right?

Wrong.

Drury signed Goodrow to a six-year contract in the summer of 2021 which carries a $3,641,667 average annual value. Goodrow’s agent was also able to negotiate a 15-team no trade list for the entirety of the contract. In the three years remaining on the deal, Goodrow is owed — in real dollars — $5 million in 2024-25, $3.75 million in 2-25-26, and $2.5 million in the final year of his contract.

The Devils don’t have any significant salary to pay any of their pending free agents this summer other than Dawson Mercer depending on the term of his next contract. However, GM Tom Fitzgerald is seemingly in the market for every position, including a bottom-six forward in which Goodrow would fit. However, he has contracts beyond this year to keep in mind — such as Luke Hughes and Kevin Bahl — while managing his cap. Fitzgerald can find other options elsewhere who are more affordable than Goodrow.

The two-time Stanley Cup Champion is the quintessential bottom six forward. However, not at his price tag, nor through his age-33 season. If the Rangers end up buying out Goodrow, then the Devils could, and should, at least approach the veteran forward.

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