The Rangers could be some changes this summer, and this former Lightning forward is creating buzz in the rumor mill because of it.
The Rangers could be some changes this summer, and this former Lightning forward is creating buzz in the rumor mill because of it.
The New York Rangers had an excellent regular season in 2023-24. They finished the year with a 55-23-4 record and won the Presidents' Trophy. However, they again fell short in the postseason, losing to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. They notably lost all three of their final games as well.
After a disappointing end to their postseason, Rangers GM Chris Drury hinted at the possibility of making changes to their roster this offseason. Here is what he said on the matter:
"I do believe in our players individually... A lot of players had great seasons. A number of them have been very good Rangers for a long time. Now it's the part of the job to figure out whether this group collectively can get us to where we want to be."
Recently, Spector's Hockey's Lyle Richardson brought up former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Barclay Goodrow as a potential cost-cutting trade candidate. This was in response to The Athletic's Peter Baugh viewing Jacob Trouba as a player the Rangers could look to move to free up cap space.
Goodrow, 31, has a $3.64 million cap hit through 2026-27, a hefty chunk of change and term for a bottom-six forward. As a result, it would not be too far-fetched to believe that they could consider moving him if they wanted to make a splash elsewhere.
Goodrow struggled during the regular season, posting four goals, eight assists, and a minus-13 rating in 80 games. However, he turned things back around during the playoffs, having six goals and two assists in 16 games. As a result, there could be interest in him if he is made available.
There are both pros and cons to a potential Goodrow trade. While gaining some much-needed cap space would be big for the Rangers, he is also impactful because of his leadership and gritty style of play. We will need to wait and see what happens with the former Bolt this summer from here.
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