Welcome to our off-season segment: New York Rangers offseason grade! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement. It is summertime for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at Barclay Goodrow’s offseason grade.
New York Rangers Offseason Grades
Report Card: Barclay Goodrow
This New York Rangers off-season grade can make fans scream or sigh and say it’s good enough. In addition, you can say this had the same effect when Goodrow signed the big contract. After trading with the Tampa Bay Lightning for his rights, Chris Drury handed over a seven-year contract. The intangibles make sense. This is a group that is capable of winning and he brings a winning pedigree with him. Goodrow plays with an edge and plays the game hard. But do his intangibles and contract value match his play on the ice? Let’s see.
The Season
His first season went as well as you could have wanted. Goodrow went on to score 13 goals and 33 points. In addition, he went on to bring that same physicality and edge he played with in Tampa Bay. However, that was last season and today we will be focusing on this season. Consistency was key for Goodrow. He primarily saw minutes on the third and fourth lines under Gerard Gallant. The depth on the roster bumped him down the chart. Goodrow went on to score 11 goals and have 31 points this season. Not much of a drop-off from last season. He brought that same physical edge finishing eighth in hits (122) and blocked shots (64).
When on the ice, he got outworked. Goodrow had the eighth-worst Corsi For (42.49), 13th in xGoals for (45.71), and 7th in xGoals against (69.75). He was out attempted and did not do a good job of suppressing chances. Given his status of being a fourth-line player, having those xGoals is not bad. Individually, he was 10th in individual expected goals. To a degree, he was effective given the minutes he played.
The Playoffs
This is where the New York Rangers offseason grade gets murky. Goodrow is a player that was brought in for this moment. Sounds crazy to think about, but this guy made his mark on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that has not been the case for Goodrow in his first two seasons on Broadway. For two seasons in Tampa Bay, Goodrow put up five and six points respectively. That is not his forte, but depth production was there. However, it did not translate. In the deep run last year, Goodrow had just one assist. This run was just the same, except he had one goal.
Much like the regular season, the playoffs remained the same. Goodrow had the worst Corsi For. With him on the ice, New Jersey out-attempted the team 99-55. In addition, Goodrow had the lowest expected goals, while having 6.87 against. Goodrow was caved in and his level of play was subpar at best. Many times you hardly noticed him on the ice. A really hard pill to swallow given how impactful he was in Tampa Bay.
The Verdict
This may be the most critical of the New York Rangers offseason grades. Barclay Goodrow is a respectable player and plays a hard game. But given the contract and how things have gone, it is not enough. Not to mention his playoff performances have not had the biggest impact. Given his cap hit on his contract and his role, questions about his future could surface. With Gallant gone, other changes will be made.
Verdict: D
Main Photo: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
