New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury said on Monday that he doesn’t “anticipate any issues” when it comes to locking down new acquisition Barclay Goodrow to a long-term contract.
The Rangers acquired the rights to the two-time Stanley Cup winner, who is a pending free agent, from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.
Before Drury addressed the media on Monday afternoon, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported that the “expectation” is that Goodrow’s deal with the Rangers will be a six-year deal worth $21.6 million ($3.6 million AAV) — a solid price tag, but a contract on a longer term.
“He’s a winner,” Drury said of Goodrow. “He’s able to walk into our locker room and talk about what it’s like to play in the playoffs and to win Cups.”
The 28-year-old right-winger was acquired by the Lightning from the San Jose Sharks during the 2019-20 season and was seen as a key addition to help Tampa get over the hump of winning the Stanley Cup.
A bottom-six forward, he recorded six points and 103 hits in 25 games in the 2020 COVID bubble — helping round out a relentless and tenacious Lightning lineup that won its second Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Dallas Stars.
After posting 20 points in the 56-game regular season this year, Goodrow posted two goals with four assists and 68 hits in 18 games as he and the Lightning repeat as champions, making light work of the Montreal Canadiens in the Final.
Goodrow’s game trends exactly where Drury and Rangers owner James Dolan wants the team to go. The hope is the Blueshirts can roll out a more physical lineup that can keep up with some of the better sides in the Metropolitan Division that have succeeded in recent years under a similar formula — most notably the Islanders and Boston Bruins.
