The Rangers have placed veteran forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers.
If I were Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, I’d be sorely tempted to bite. Goodrow can play all three forward positions and employs a banging, grinding style. Although by no means a heavyweight or accomplished fighter, Goodrow won’t hesitate to come to a teammates aid. He’s got some size, too (6’2” 204).
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize our largely benign Pens could greatly benefit from a player of Goodrow’s ilk, especially in light of the hard-charging Panthers’ success this postseason.
Alas, there are drawbacks. The 31-year-old Toronto native has three years remaining on a deal that pays $3.6 million per, pricey for a player who tallied only four goals in a reduced role this season. For perspective, coming on the heels of 13-and 11-goal campaigns in 2021-22 and ’22-23. Not to mention his six goals in 16 postseason games this spring.
Goodrow’s underlying metrics aren’t anything to write home about, although that could be at least partly attributable to his bottom-six role and the Rangers’ controlled style of play under Peter Laviolette. The two-time Cup winner posted decent possession numbers in earlier stops at San Jose and Tampa Bay.
If not Goodrow?
I’d love to see the Pens make a play for Canucks bruiser Dakota Joshua, three years younger and a shade taller and heavier. More accomplished offensively, too (18 goals in 63 regular-season games, four more in 13 playoff games).
Although not as versatile as Goodrow, the UFA-to-be plays the requisite heavy game. Alas, he’s likely to be a hot commodity come July 1, one who’ll command a substantial pay hike over the $825K he earned with the Canucks this season.
Oh, if the name sounds vaguely familiar, it should. Dakota’s the big brother of Baby Pens power forward Jagger Joshua, whose pro career is tracking very much like that of his older sibling.
Of course, if Dubas would just sign the younger Joshua, who goes 6’3” and 196 pounds? It would go a long way to solving our sandpaper issues, and likely at a bargain rate. However, I’ve heard nary a whisper that the Pens are considering such a move, which IMHO would be a colossal mistake.
For the record, I’d still have an interest in pending Hurricanes free-agent forward Stefan Noesen, another late bloomer who plays a hard, straight-forward game and gives no quarter.
Attributes in short supply around these parts.
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Hey Rick,
I do agree, 100%, with the theory of why you would want Goodrow and/or Joshua. However, in practice, I don’t want either player.
This team is in desperate need of grit. Until they traded for Bunting it was a rare sight indeed to see a Penguin go to the net in the offensive zone and the only defenseman that will put body on body in the defensive zone is Kris Letang. And when they get hit, they turn so many cheeks that they run out of cheeks to turn and only then, when it is too late and the situation actually calls for temperance, they overreact to a far lesser infraction than they let go, at an inopportune time, taking a senseless penalty.
However, there are problems with both of these 2 options (Goodrow and Joshua). Goodrow is old – he is 31. The last thing this team needs is another old veteran. Part of the reason why nobody wants to go to the dirty areas on this team has to be the age of the team. The older people get the more they think that the lunch pail stuff is beneath them with the thought that that type of play is for the younger players to prove themselves.
Another issue that would cause older player to be reticent to play a more physical game is the fact that they don’t want to get hurt. Remember Dave “the Hammer” Schultz? When he cam to Pittsburgh he was only 28, but he was already sort of used up; he was no longer as effective, as an enforcer. Even though he still racked up Penalty Minutes, he really didn’t intimidate anyone but the officials (I remember them calling him for a Penalty almost as soon as his skates hit the ice, before he even got close to anyone).
I also remember Tom Barrasso in a post-game interview after a loss at the end of his career blowing it off saying that Hockey wasn’t as important as his family (Which I get and believe in, but goes to the point of older players changing values).
In Joshua’s case, outside of his willingness to hit, I really didn’t see anything else in his game, from a pure hockey perspective to make me want to see him on the roster. I know he put up 10 Gs in WBS but honestly from what I saw of him, I don’t think that would translate to any offense what-so-ever at the NHL level. Furthermore, so long as Sullivan is in-charge of this team, grit players will never see the ice. If I wouldn’t use Joshua and I like grit, mister grit allergy surely would never use him.
(And I could see FSG give Sullivan an extension even if the bum goes 0 – 246 – 0 through the rest of this contract.)
As I wrote before, the only UFAs I would go for are Debrusk, Zadorov, Pesce and 2 of the UFA Goalies (Ned, Brossoit, or Stolarz). Other than that, I would try to build toughness from within. I wish the team had at least listened to me last season and not threw away another 1st round draft pick. However, that stupidity is just more water under the bridge. Going forward from here, using my 2 second round picks in this year’s draft, I would either take Luca Marelli (RHD) or Lukas Fischer (LHD) with one of the picks and either Jacob Battaglia, Ethan Procyszyn, or Devon Moore with the other pick. All are over 6’-0” tall some are already over 200lbs, all are younger, still with potential.
Just my 2 cents
Hey Other Rick,
An excellent and well-thought response.
I confess my article was a bit knee-jerk. When I saw the Rangers had waived Goodrow I thought…”Ooh, we could use a player like that.” Since this would appear to be a prelude to the Rangers buying Goodrow out, obviously the smart play would be to wait for that to happen and then sign him to a 1- or-2 year deal for comparative peanuts.
I do think the Pens desperately need some jam from somewhere. Given the dearth of it within the organization aside from Bunting, Jack St. Ivany and unproven kids like Joshua, Jonathan Gruden and John Ludvig, I think we’re going to have to look to the outside for the immediate future. I hear ya’ about 30-somethings like Goodrow and Noesen, but you gotta start somewhere. We’re way too polite and even tempered as presently constructed.
Of course, you mention the ongoing battle of trying to slip aggressive types past Sullivan. Roughly akin to sneaking a pork chop past a wolf, I’m afraid…
Rick
Rick
San Jose picked Goodrow up on waivers. I'm in agreement with you on adding grit. After
watching the playoffs I don't think with the way the roster is structured we could survive
a seven game series.
I was glad to see they signed Ned to what I felt was a reasonable deal. I hoping Dubas will
look to move Jarry.
Looking forward to the Draft - it's right around the corner.
Hey Mike,
I would love to see Jarry dumped or traded.