The powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning continue to add for what they’re hoping will be a much-longer playoff run than a year before, acquiring Barclay Goodrow from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick.
Goodrow is a sound, big, two-way forward who can provide both offence and kill penalties.
It’s not often an undrafted player fetches a first-round pick, but that’s exactly what’s happened in this case. After spending five seasons with the OHL’s Brampton Battalion, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks and has spent his entire career there, suiting up for 268 games and recording 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points.
He’s set career-highs in both goals and points this season with eight and 16, respectively, and has also racked up 80 penalty minutes.
Goodrow is on the first year of a two-year deal that pays him a modest $925,000 annually. By trading away their first round pick for him, the Lightning — at 40-17-5 and on a tear in recent weeks — have shown they’re in “win now” mode after being unceremoniously swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets last spring.
Goodrow is the third player the Bolts have added recently: they acquired Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils last week and picked up free-agent defenseman Zach Bogosian yesterday.
The San Jose Sharks — sans Erik Karlsson for the rest of the season and now well below .500 — have been sellers this month; they sent Brendan Dillon to the Washington Capitals last week.
The Sharks didn’t have a first-round 2020 pick until now, as they sent theirs to the Ottawa Senators as part of the trade that brought them Karlsson. With the Lightning’s first-rounder, they’ll bring eigh picks to this June’s draft in Montreal.
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