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| Bruce Bennett/Getty Images |
News came out this morning that
Brook Laich agreed to a six-year contract that will pay him $27 million to stay
with the Washington Capitals. Laich
agreed to the deal just days before he would have hit the unrestricted market
and had the ability to look through all his options. It is possible he could have gotten more
money or more years by waiting until Friday to sign, but he decided to stay
where he knows and was given plenty in terms of years and money to do so. The
question left behind from the Laich deal for Rangers’ fans: How does this
impact the contracts Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky will get?
Laich, 28, is seen as a
heart-and-soul, grinding type player that can chip in approximately 50 points
while being a critical part of a locker room.
That seems to be a pretty accurate description of what Callahan Dubinsky
are for the Rangers. In term of the
Rangers duo, there is more upside for offensive improvement as both showed this
year which could make them both think about seeking similar numbers to what
Laich just receieved.
Statistically the players are
not that different either. Laich has 100
goals and 137 assists in 475 career NHL games.
Those numbers equate to a .499 points per game or 41 points per 82 games. Laich has surpassed those career totals in
each of the last three seasons, hitting 50 points twice in that span while scoring
20+ goals in three of the last four years.
Callahan has 76 goals and 68
assists in 284 career NHL games. Those
numbers equate to a .507 points per game average or 42 points per 82 games. Callahan inflated his career averages with
last year’s .8 points per game average, but he still has scored at least 19
goals and 37 points in the last three seasons.
Dubinsky has the best career
numbers of the trio as he has 71 goals and 108 assists in 316 career
games. His .566 points per game average
puts him on pace for 46 points per 82 game season. Dubinsky has raised his point totals in each
of his four full seasons in the NHL and is coming off a career year that saw
him lead the team in goals (24), assists (30) and points (54).
In terms of statistics and value
to their team’s there is little difference between Laich, Callahan and
Dubinsky. The biggest difference in the
cases is that Laich was going to be an unrestricted free agent, while Callahan
has one more year until he would be and Dubinsky is two years away from that
freedom. The difference in free agency
status is a huge card for Glen Sather as he should get at least one year at a
lower than market level rate. One other thing to consider is that Laich
staying in Washington weakens an already thin unrestricted free agent
class, so it could make Callahan and Dubinsky even more attractive
options to teams looking to add talent and leave them as potential offer
sheet candidates. The Laich
signing, while not supposed to be used for comparative purposes certainly
should leave Callahan and Dubinsky feeling pretty good about where there next
contract is going to end up.
