Every dollar in cap space is critical for the New York
Rangers right now as they look to sign both Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan
long-term while making other roster decisions.
According to
Larry Brooks of the New York Post the Rangers lost some of that
space under the $64.3 million 2011-12 cap having encountered $527,000 in bonus
overages last season. That amount leaves
the Rangers with $10.64 million under the cap which is plenty for Dubinsky and
Callahan, but makes the rest of the roster get tight. For example, if Tim Erixon makes the team out
of camp that is another $1.75 million against the cap and that doesn’t even
count a veteran defenseman if the Rangers do bring back Steve Eminger as was rumored earlier this afternoon.
The $527,000 could have been a lot worse for the Rangers as
there was a potential of $3.8 million in bonuses from players on last year’s
roster, but every dollar counts and this makes this slightly more difficult for
New York. The Rangers do have extra
forwards right now and the alleviation of Erik Christensen through trade or
demotion or Wojtek Wolski through buyout or trade would certainly give more
breathing room under the cap.
