When they signed Barclay Goodrow three years ago, this is exactly what the Rangers had in mind.

A gritty forward who can play anywhere in the lineup, the 31-year-old is a proven winner. He was an integral part of the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

When they acquired him from the Sharks on Feb. 24, 2020, it was due to how he plays. The Lightning knew that they had to get tougher. Adding a hard-nosed player like Goodrow helped improve their depth. He was part of the big third line that included Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman.

In the summer of 2021, the Lightning knew that they couldn’t re-sign Goodrow. They dealt his signing rights to the Rangers for a seventh round pick. They immediately signed him to a six-year contract worth an average cap hit of $3.64 million. In hindsight, they gave him too many years. However, he’s been a solid contributor over the first half of the deal.

Whenever a player struggles the way Goodrow did during the regular season, it’s always en vogue to criticize their performance by referencing how much they make. Was it an overpay? Sure. But Goodrow is more than just goals and assists. He brings intangibles.

Before Peter Laviolette took over as coach, Goodrow had consecutive 30-point seasons for the first time in his career with the Blueshirts. He hit double digits in goals the previous two years. Used up and down the lineup by Gerard Gallant, the versatile Goodrow played more. He killed penalties and even saw some power play time before Gallant overused the top unit.

When Laviolette was hired, he decided to utilize Goodrow differently. Establishing that he wanted Goodrow to be the fourth line center, he frequently had him match up against opponents’ top scoring lines. Primarily used at even strength and on the penalty kill, Goody saw his average ice time cut to 12:34.

He improved on faceoffs by winning 54.0 percent. But his offense suffered. He only had four goals with eight assists for 12 points over 80 games. Despite struggling in that department, be still was a key part of the league’s third best penalty killing unit. He scored one of the Rangers’ eight shorthanded goals during the season.

Goodrow remains an honest player who finishes checks, blocks shots, and wins puck battles. After finishing the season better by scoring three of his four goals over the last nine games, he’s carried it over to the postseason.

In the first round sweep of the Capitals, he had an impact. Playing between Jimmy Vesey and Matt Rempe, Goodrow set up a pair of goals in Game 1. That included a strong forecheck behind the net that led to Vesey feeding Rempe for the first goal. He later won a faceoff back to Vesey for the third goal. The Rangers won 4-1.

Two games later, it was Goodrow who got the game-winner when he took a Vincent Trocheck feed and scored a shorthanded goal in a 3-1 win at Washington. His work on the penalty kill with Trocheck has been exceptional. They do a good job pressuring up top. They both break up plays and can transition quickly. Their defensive effort has been a big reason why the Rangers have five shorthanded goals in the postseason.

In yesterday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Panthers to take Game 3, Goodrow scored his second shorthanded goal of the playoffs to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead late in the second period. He also scored back in the first period when he redirected a Braden Schneider shot to tie the score.

Without those two goals, the Rangers don’t take a 2-1 series lead. The same can be said for his overtime winner in Game 2. Goodrow took a Trocheck pass in the middle of the ice and beat Sergei Bobrovsky short side to give the Rangers a 2-1 win.

In the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final, it’s been the play of Goodrow who’s picked up the scoring for slumping stars Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. Panarin has one assist while both Zibanejad and Kreider are without a point so far. That needs to change when the series resumes tomorrow night.

Somehow, the Blueshirts are ahead in the series. They can thank Goodrow, Alexis Lafreniere, Trocheck, and Game 3 hero Alex Wennberg for that.

Lafreniere scored twice on Sunday, including a highlight reel goal that made it 3-2. With the Panthers more focused on taking away Panarin, Lafreniere’s had time and space to make things happen. If he continues to produce along with Trocheck, who leads the Rangers with four points in the series, that could force Florida to change how they play against Panarin.

Led by Goodrow’s three goals, it’s been the Rangers’ role players who have been getting it done. On his first goal in Game 3 that tied the score, Bobrovsky was unable to pick up his deflection due to Rempe screening him in front. He didn’t play much following an iffy roughing penalty that led to Sam Reinhart getting his second power-play goal of the first period. But Rempe indirectly helped Goodrow score by standing in front.

With the Zibanejad line quiet again, Wennberg had a good game. His line with Jack Roslovic and the reinserted Kaapo Kakko were effective. They spent the majority of shifts in the Florida zone. The one time they didn’t was when Carter Verhaeghe set up Aleksander Barkov for a big goal that got the Panthers back in it early in the third period. They got caught on too long with K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba.

As fate would have it, Wennberg got help from Kakko and Roslovic on a faceoff that led to his overtime winner. They combined to get the puck back for a Ryan Lindgren shot that Wennberg tipped in for the winner.

The Rangers are ahead in the series due to their secondary scoring. It was an area of concern coming in. They’ve made positive contributions. That includes Will Cuylle, who helped set up Goodrow’s first goal on Sunday. Cuylle always plays with an edge by going to the dirty areas and finishing checks. He isn’t shy about shooting the puck when the opportunity is there.

If they can get more from Zibanejad, Kreider, and Panarin, they should advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s time for the Rangers’ stars to step up.