The New York Rangers and veteran 31-year-old center Barclay Goodrow might be in for a split, according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli.
Seravalli identified Goodrow as the No. 3 buyout candidate ahead of the July 2024 offseason in an article published on June 13.
Goodrow’s contract has three years remaining with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.64 million. The potential buyout structure would offer the Rangers some cap relief over the next three seasons, per CapFriendly, creating $3.3 million of cap in that span.
“The Rangers think highly of Goodrow, who also scored some Empire State-sized goals for the Blueshirts in the playoffs,” Seravalli wrote. “Nonetheless, $3.6 million is way too much to pay your fourth-line center, and there doesn’t appear to be much upward mobility in the lineup for Goodrow.”
The buyout would save the Rangers $247,222 next season in particular. By the 2026-27 season, the salary cap is expected to exceed $97 million, making the buyout a financially prudent decision for the team to consider ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Goodrow’s Decline Could Bring Rangers Buyout
Goodrow’s journey with the New York Rangers has been a mix of highs and lows with a subpar regular season followed by a bounceback in the playoffs.
Goodrow played 80 regular-season games scoring a measly 12 points, including 4 goals and 8 assists. Peter Baugh of The Athletic graded Goodrow’s regular season with a D on June 7 when analyzing all Rangers’ forwards.
“Goodrow had a trying regular season that included a 56-game goalless drought,” Baugh wrote.
However, Goodrow’s playoff performance was quite impressive, with 6 goals and 2 assists in 16 games, earning him a playoff grade of B+.
“He showed his worth with a productive postseason,” Baugh noted. “His $3.641 million cap hit is too high for his regular season production but fair for a player who can produce the way he did in the playoffs.”
Seravalli echoed a similar sentiment, noting how Goodrow’s experience was vital for the deep postseason run put together by the Rangers but not worth paying so much for going forward.
“He netted more goals (6) in 16 postseason contests than he did (4) in 80 regular season games,” Seravalli wrote. “He does his job, and he does it well, but his contract throws New York’s cap balance out of whack.
“Couple that with the fact that the Rangers could buy him out this month and not only not have a penalty, but a unique salary cap credit of $247,222 next season to effectively increase their cap to $88.247 million? That feels like a no-brainer.”
Other Buyout Candidates include LA Kings’ $68 Million Forward
Seravalli ranked the most obvious player at the No. 1 spot in Los Angeles Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Dubois, 25, has seven years remaining on his $68 million contract with an AAV of $8.5 million. The buyout structure for Dubois would span 14 seasons, with cap hits varying from $1.1 million to $3.8 million.
“Yes, we heard GM Rob Blake say at locker cleanout day that the Kings were not planning on buying out Dubois. But this makes too much sense. At least until June 24, it does,” Seravalli reported.
The fact that Seravalli mentioned June 24 in particular is related to Dubois’ age and birthday. The forward turns 26 on that day, and the Kings would need to buy him out while he is 25 to maximize their savings.
“For now, he is 25, and that means the Kings are only responsible for paying one-third of the money remaining on his deal, instead of two-thirds which happens when he celebrates his 26th birthday,” Seravalli explained. “A 14-year buyout sounds painful now, but the majority of the cap hits are negligible at a time when the cap will be well exceeding $100 million per year.
“The Kings would save $32 million in real cash – which is a serious amount of dough. It’s better to admit a mistake and pay a lesser price rather than double down and have it hurt much worse in the long term.”
