When it comes to sports, the business side can be cruel. Such is how things played out for Barclay Goodrow. With three years left on a six-year contract that pays him a cap hit of $3.64 million, he became a former Ranger on Wednesday.

Goodrow’s 15-team no-trade list was used against him. By placing him on waivers, the Rangers opened the door for one of the teams he didn’t prefer to pick him up. That’s precisely what happened yesterday when the Sharks claimed him.

Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that there was a pre-arranged deal between the Rangers and Sharks. That landed Goodrow back with his first team.

It didn’t matter that the Sharks were one of the 15 teams on his no-trade list. If Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury worked out a deal with Sharks general manager Mike Grier, they worked around that roadblock to send Goodrow back to San Jose.

He reportedly wasn’t happy through his agent with how it went down. I don’t blame him. It isn’t fair. But sometimes, that’s business as usual.

The Sharks are trying to get to the $65 million salary cap floor for 2024-25. By taking Goodrow’s contract, that puts them currently at $56,687,504. That’s over $31 million in cap space.

San Jose also acquired Ty Dellandrea from the Stars for a 2025 fourth round pick. He’s restricted. They have decisions to make on several Group II free agents.

With Goodrow returning to San Jose, he’ll be looked to for veteran leadership on a rebuilding club. Pretty soon, that’ll feature projected top pick Macklin Celebrini and former 2023 first round pick Will Smith. The Sharks should get a jolt from both top prospects.

For Goodrow, it’s a harsh reality. He went from a contending team to a lottery team, looking to restore pride. At 31, it’s gotta be disappointing. That doesn’t mean he can’t be traded to a contender looking for what the gritty Goodrow provides. What if a rival decided to acquire him next year? That’s the worst-case scenario for the Rangers. Don’t rule it out.

Even if it was underhanded, Drury did nothing wrong. He worked within the rules of the salary cap to unload Goodrow’s contract – creating space to make another move this summer.

The Rangers are in desperate need of a scoring right wing that can aid Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Jake DeBrusk checks a lot of boxes. It’ll be interesting to see what Drury does in July. He indicated that he wanted to get stronger and tougher following the six-game series loss to the Panthers.

If Goodrow is the first domino to fall, what else does Drury have planned? Could a Filip Chytil or Kaapo Kakko be on the block? Is there any realistic chance to move Jacob Trouba? Don’t forget he has to submit his 15-team no-trade list in 11 days.

Are they ready to make the kind of impact moves necessary to win a Stanley Cup? Coming close isn’t enough. It’s been 30 years since they won in 1993-94. Had Zibanejad, Kreider, and Artemi Panarin played better against Florida, it could’ve been their time. I don’t know how they would’ve defended the freakish Connor McDavid. He’s something the league’s never seen before.

One thing is certain. The Stanley Cup just got a lot more interesting. As exciting as the possibility of an Oilers’ historic comeback from 3-0 down sounds, there’s no reason for the Cup still to be going. It’s the first day of summer. The schedule has too many breaks during the season. They’ve let ESPN dictate the playoffs.

There are moves being made by other teams. It’s not officially off-season, but things are getting done. That can’t be what the league prefers. Or does it? About as much as Goodrow wanted to leave New York for San Jose.