Barclay Goodrow's versatility comes in very handy for Rangers

Gerard Gallant found himself Monday trying to put together a lineup minus a couple pieces against a Los Angeles Kings team his Rangers had lost to a week earlier. The coach was going to have to move some people around to try and plug holes left vacant by the absence or Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, out with upper and lower-body injuries, respectively.

Fortunately, Gallant has a Swiss Army Knife on his roster in the form of Barclay Goodrow, who has played every forward position for the Rangers this season and played on every line, first through fourth. He’s been a primary penalty killer, a fill-in power-play presence, and has become a wild card that Gallant can use in whatever way the game plan requires on a given night.

"It's what he does,’’ Gallant said of Goodrow’s versatility. "There's a few guys that do different things for us, and Goodrow's been outstanding, from Day One. He's been great for us.’’

Goodrow’s tip-in of Artemi Panarin’s shot ended up being the tying goal that forced overtime in the Rangers’ 3-2 shootout victory over the Kings. It came with him playing right wing on the second line, with Panarin and Ryan Strome, and it was his eighth goal of the season, matching his career high set in the 2019-20 season. That was the season he was dealt from San Jose to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline and ended up helping the Lightning win their first of two consecutive Stanley Cups.

Rangers GM Chris Drury traded for Goodrow’s rights over the summer and then signed the pending unrestricted free agent to a six-year, $21.85 million contract to bring in some much-needed grit and playoff experience. Some questioned whether the $3.64 million annual average value was a little high for a guy who projected as a third-line grinder, but so far, Goodrow has been worth every penny.

"He's lived up to every expectation really,’’ first-line center Mika Zibanejad said of Goodrow. "He just really does everything for the team . . . [He’s] an all-around unbelievable pro.’’

The big question for Gallant every game is whether Goodrow is more valuable as a bottom-six centerman or a top-six winger. Goodrow himself said he doesn’t care where he’s asked to play. He plays the same game wherever he is.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter to me,’’ Goodrow said. "I'll play wherever they think they need me for the team to win games. It really doesn't matter to me. It's something I've just become used to, over my career, kind of bouncing around different positions.’’

With Kakko on injured reserve and out on a "week-to-week’’ basis, according to Gallant, there’s probably a greater need for Goodrow to play on the wing at least until he comes back. And based on Monday’s game, probably the best fit would be to stay with Panarin and Strome for now.

Those three haven’t played that much together — just 39:31 so far, according to Natural Stat Trick — but with the relatively small sample size, their analytic numbers show that with two goals for and one against, and eight high-danger chances for and nine against, Goodrow is the second-best right winger for Panarin and Strome, after Kakko.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.