Warsofsky Says Goodrow ‘Excited’ To Play for Sharks, Has ‘Turned the Page’ on Rangers

It sounds like Barclay Goodrow is ready for the challenge of playing for the San Jose Sharks.

That’s what new San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Tom Giulutti of NHL.com on Saturday at the South Carolina Stingrays Fan Fest at North Charleston Coliseum.

Warsofsky started his pro coaching career in South Carolina, helming the Stingrays from 2016 to 2018.

“We talked for a while and he’s in a good place and he’s excited,” Warsofsky, who visited Goodrow in his hometown Toronto, said. “He’s obviously been in San Jose before, and he knows some of the guys. He and [captain Logan Couture] are really close, so that helps. I think he’s kind of turned the page on New York now. This is a business and that’s part of life… And he’s responded great. He’s all bought in and I’m excited because he’s a big piece of our team and I think he’s excited, too.”

When the San Jose Sharks claimed Goodrow and the last three years of his contract at $3.64 million AAV off waivers from the New York Rangers, it was revealed that the ex-Shark actually had San Jose on his 15-Team No-Trade List.

The report was that Goodrow was “not happy about how this went down”, which might include how both the Rangers and Sharks circumvented his no-trade list by using waivers to move him.

REPORT: Goodrow Unhappy With Rangers, Are Sharks on His No-Trade List?

Notably, Goodrow is the only major San Jose Sharks’ off-season acquisition who hasn’t spoken with local media yet this summer.

It sounds like time has healed any wounds though.

It never seemed personal, Goodrow putting San Jose on his 15-Team No-Trade List. Instead, it appeared to be more of a statement of the Sharks’ competitive situation compared to what Goodrow has grown accustomed to.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion has been part of the Conference Finals in five of the last six seasons, with San Jose in 2019, Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, and New York in 2022 and 2024. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks have missed the playoffs for five straight years and running.

So the challenge in San Jose is much different: It’s not necessarily to be a Cup contender or even make the playoffs immediately, a large part of it is mentoring top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and taking the first big steps toward getting the last-place squad out of the cellar.

It looks like Goodrow is ready to help build.

Warsofsky also spoke to Giulitti about how he expects 2024 first-overall pick Celebrini to “drive our team” this season, getting to know Jake Walman, and his coaching approach.