Stanley Cup winner was playoff hero for the Rangers in their playoff run this season
Stanley Cup winner was playoff hero for the Rangers in their playoff run this season
The Buffalo Sabres face a season where accountability will be stressed under head coach Lindy Ruff and areas of need will have to be addressed by GM Kevyn Adams for the club to snap their 13-year playoff drought.
In addition to players who may need a change of scenery from their current clubs and those who are being shopped this summer, the Sabres with their available cap space and their desire for veterans to give their lineup some depth could be positioned to take advantage of teams are in a cap crunch.
With the departure of Kyle Okposo and the potential exit of longtime veteran Zemgus Girgensons and winger Eric Robinson, the Sabres will be looking to replenish their third and fourth lines and cannot solely depend on youngsters from Rochester in those spots.
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In his Slapshots column in the New York Post, Larry Brooks poses that it may be time for the Rangers to move on from veteran forward Barclay Goodrow, the 31-year-old forward who stepped up in the playoffs with six goals in 13 playoff games after scoring just four goals in 80 games during the regular season.
Goodrow has three years left at $3.64 million on his contract, and Brooks speculates that the Rangers may buy him out when the window opens 48 hours after the end of the Stanley Cup Final, but does say there is a possibility of a trade at the NHL Draft later this month.
Offensive production has never been Goodrow’s strong suit (his career-high is 13 goals with Tampa Bay), but intangibles like leadership and his play on special teams would be something that the two-time Cup winner could provide to a Sabres team that have needs in both areas.
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