Should Sharks Acquire Goodrow? 2 NHL Scouts Say Yes (+)

The San Jose Sharks have a chance to bring back a playoff hero…but that’s not why they should, according to two NHL scouts.

The New York Rangers put Barclay Goodrow on waivers today. For Sharks fans, Goodrow is best known for scoring the Game Seven overtime winner to complete San Jose’s comeback from 3-1 series and 3-0 game deficits against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.

Goodrow wasn’t just a playoff hero for the San Jose Sharks either, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. This led to the Rangers signing him a six-year, $21.85 million contract in the summer of 2021.

After two solid seasons in a middle-six role in New York, averaging 12 goals and 20 assists in each year, Goodrow was dropped to the fourth line this past season, notching just four goals and eight helpers.

The 31-year-old did reassert himself in the playoffs, scoring six goals and two assists in the Rangers’ Eastern Conference Finals run.

But the cap-strapped Rangers, regardless, are hoping to pass Goodrow’s $3.642 AAV in each of the next three years onto another team.

UPDATE: Mollie Walker of the NY Post reported that “there is belief there is a pre-arranged deal for the Sharks to claim Goodrow.”

REPORTS: ‘Belief’ Sharks Will Claim Goodrow, ‘Trade Interest’ in Atkinson?

So why should the San Jose Sharks roll the dice on Goodrow? Two NHL scouts, neither with the Sharks nor Rangers organizations, shared their thoughts.