Rangers, Dubinsky Need Each Other So Contract Will Get Done

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Larry Brooks of the New York Post wrote yesterday that Brandon Dubinsky was seeking $4.5 million per season during his contract negotiations this summer.  Many New York Rangers fans immediately sought to distance themselves from Dubinsky by seeking to minimize his contributions to the club because they thought the amount was too high and that it might lead to his departure.  The defense mechanisms are unnecessary as you can say that you don’t want to see the Rangers pay Brandon $4.5 million without discounting the value he has to this club or resorting to calling him greedy.

From Brooks…

Impending Group II free agent Brandon Dubinsky is seeking a multi-year deal at $4.5 million a year, we're told. But not only isn't he going to get it from Sather, his case became much, much weaker when Buffalo winger Drew Stafford -- whose numbers form a direct comparable -- re-upped a couple of days ago for four years at $4 million per.

I would agree that Dubinsky ends up near where Stafford did, but I would garner a guess that Stafford did not open negotiations at that number to end up there.  He probably began the negotiation process looking for more and the two sides concluded at the 4/16 deal.  To further the issue, Jesse Spector tweeted last night that any statements regarding the “demands” of the Dubinsky side did not come from him or his agent, which makes the whole thing a big exercise is nothing.

NYDNRangers: On the report out today that Dubinsky seeks $4.5M per year -- it didn't come from his camp.   

NYDNRangers: That doesn't mean he's not looking for $4.5M a year, just that it's not him or his agent taking the negotiations public. 

The one thing it did show however is that there is still a propensity for Rangers fans to think the worst of Dubinsky when it comes to contracts based on the holdout two years ago.  The immediate jump to blame him for what was said by Brooks and minimize his worth was frighteningly quick.  This is a player who led the team in goals (24), assists (30), and points (54) while playing part of the season through a stress fracture in his leg.  While his play tailed off in the second half, Dubinsky was clearly the team’s MVP during the first half when he played to a near All-Star level.  Having said all of that, the moment fans thought he wanted too much for his next contract he becomes useless?  We can do better than that as there is not another forward on this team who can help the team in as many ways as Dubinsky does on the ice, except for Ryan Callahan.

Furthering that if you look around the league, as was pointed out by RangerSmurf on twitter yesterday, the salaries of many comparable left wings in the NHL are very similar to the $4.5 million number that was floated by Brooks.  I am hopeful that the actual negotiations go smoothly and the Rangers can keep the deal under $4 million, but this is also what happens when you have a team that lacks offensive talent, as the Rangers do, as it makes each piece more valuable and creates some level of leverage.  The Rangers need Dubinsky for all that he brings them on the ice, and he needs New York for the opportunities he gets here that he would not get most other places.  The mutual need for each other is something that always helps in the end and when both sides see that it will be done.  In the meantime, take a deep breath and don’t jump off the cliff with every rumor, even if time is slow.

Rumor: Brad Richards Not Giving Discounts; Rangers Should Move On, Look To Trade Market

Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that Brad Richards is seeking a long term contract at a minimum average salary of $7 million a season.  As scary as the dollar amount per season might be to many, the long term is what scares me more in any deal for Richards.  I would rather pay Richards extra up front to go away quick than even get him at a discount to stay longer.  It appears that Richards wants both the money and the length, and personally you cannot blame the guy. 

This means that, a) general manager Glen Sather will not be sending an asset to Dallas for the right to try and convince the 31-year-old center to sign before he hits the market; and, b) the Blueshirts already are pondering a Plan B to bring a first-line pivot to Broadway.

We're told by well-placed sources Richards has no intention of signing for a discount in order to reunite with coach John Tortorella, with whom he won the Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004. That's fine. If five years at $6.5 million per -- that's the number -- doesn't represent enough green to get Richards into a Blueshirt, then that's that.

There has been the fantasy notion for many who follow the New York Rangers that the relationship with Tortorella was going to somehow inspire Richards to take less to play here.  I have never bought into that idea or the idea that winning is the most important thing to Richards.  Sure, if the money is close between two places, then he would probably take the one with a better chance to win than the pure highest dollar amount.  Nothing Richards has said or done all season has given any indication that he wants anything other than the attention of being an unrestricted free agent for the first time, and the bidding war that will likely ensue. 

The fact that Richards is far and away the best forward on the market this summer gives him all the leverage in the negotiations as this is no fallback option available without a trade.  Brooks tosses out the names of Jason Spezza, Stephen Weiss and Patrick Sharp as potential fits in the trade market.  Of the three, Sharp is likely the best combination of player and contract, but he would cost significant assets to pry him out of Chicago and only has one season left on his contract before being an unrestricted free agent next summer.  Spezza is a supremely talented player, but his injury history and having four years at $7 million per left on his contract makes it a no go.  I discussed the idea of trading for Weiss as a plan B here.

If Richards is about money and not winning, then the Rangers are better off not signing the talented player this summer.  This organization has slowly moved away from the buying of talent to fill holes and towards developing youth to fill the roster.  Overpaying Richards would be a step back in that movement, even if it is an upgrade in talent.

Rumor: Rangers Considering Trading Down? Could Toronto Be a Trade Down Partner?

On Friday I pondered whether the New York Rangers should consider trading down in the first round in order to add more picks during the 2011 NHL draft.  Apparently I am not the only one having this thought.  Tom Gulitti of Fire and Ice is speculating that the Rangers would look to pick up a second round pick by moving back in the first round.

Keep an eye on the Rangers, who are scheduled to pick 15th and have no second-round pick after trading two second-rounders to Calgary in Wednesday’s trade for Swedish defenseman Tim Erixon. It will be interesting to see if Rangers GM Glen Sather will try to pick up a second-round pick for moving back a few spots in the first round. The Rangers and Coyotes have been frequent trade partners since Maloney left his post as assistant GM with the Rangers to become the Coyotes GM.

One such scenario to keep in mind would be trading back with the Toronto Maple Leafs as NHL.com is reporting that GM Brian Burke is looking to package one of his first round picks and his early second to move up higher in the first round.

"We're trying to move up, but haven't had any luck yet ... it's still pretty early," Burke said. "We own the 25th pick (from Philadelphia) and either a 29 or 30 from Boston (depending on the result of Stanley Cup Final), and we're trying to package 39 and one of those first-rounders."

Obviously there are issues with this scenario.  The first being how the draft unfolds and who is actually available when the Rangers #15 slot comes up.  If the player the Rangers are targeting is there, then they will stay and take him in the spot instead of risking him being gone by the time they would select again.  Also, in terms of the Toronto scenario, they could be looking to move higher than #15 and would also depend on if the player they want is there to be taken with the Rangers pick.

Burke continued…

"We're trying to identify all the ledges where the draft falls off," he said. "The way this draft is, we've got good bandwidth and a good feel that you could be getting the same player from No. 15 through No. 50. When it gets to No. 25 and if we still own that pick, you're going to see our phones start to ring from three different teams. They'll probably say, 'OK, there's a guy we really want at 25, would you trade down with us?' So we haven't ruled that out, either, in this draft. We've told our scouts, you have to have a gymnast ability to be flexible in moving up or down, so you'll see the phone ringing a lot on draft day."

As I said on Friday, the two main guys the Rangers should target and stay at #15 to select would be centers Mark McNeill and Mark Scheifele.  Both players are expected to go in the area surrounding the Rangers selection and for different reasons would be excellent fits for the organization.  However, if both are gone, the Rangers cannot discount the idea of moving down to get more picks to further deepen the prospect ranks.  A deal like what the Leafs are looking to do would make sense, even if the Rangers throw-in a minor league defensive prospect like Pavel Valentenko.

Rangers Player Review: Brandon Prust Warrior Mentality, Growth Epitomized Rangers Season

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There is no player that gave more of themselves this season for the New York Rangers than Brandon Prust, which is why he was rewarded with the 2010-11 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award at the conclusion of the season.  The lure of the season Prust put in only grew following the year when it was announced that he appeared in all 82 games despite the fact that he would require surgery to repair a torn labrum.  It is that kind of warrior mentality that willed the New York Rangers to overachieve during the 2010-11 season.

This year was one in which Prust showed that he was more than just a fighter or a fourth line player at the NHL level.  The combination of forechecking prowess, skilled penalty killing, excellent defense and offensive contributions made Prust one of the more valuable Rangers this season.  Prust helped epitomize the Rangers mentality and system of playing physically on the forecheck, sacrificing the body to block shots and being responsible on both ends of the ice.  His play earned him not only the respect of his teammates and the league, but the trust of the coaching staff to trust Prust in critical situations. 

The way he carries himself is what makes him respected by those around the league and especially within the locker room.  It is why on multiple occasions this season teammates said playing with Prust was an honor.  When you watch a warrior take on all comers and play though pain as Prust did this season, it forces every person on the team to take a harder look in the mirror when they would want to complain about physical injury.  As Prust said this season, “It’s just pain.”

With the increased ice time, Prust established career highs in all statistical categories offensively with 13 goals and 16 assists.  For the Rangers, who struggle with offensive consistency, to get 13 goals from a player who was considered by most as a fourth liner coming into the year is a huge boost.  Most impressive about his offensive contributions is the fact that five of his 13 goals were while the team was shorthanded.  To have that kind of threat going the other way while killing penalties helps not only on the scoreboard, but in killing off penalties because the opposition has to account for the potential of him going the other way.  He earned the trust of the coaching staff to be out there on the penalty kill and he rewarded them with the way he performed, which was the epitome of his 2010-11 campaign.

Beyond the willingness to play through injury and the contributions he made with his own play, one of the things you love most about how Prust plays is the way he defends teammates and backs down from no one.  Prust recorded 18 fighting majors this season and many were in the defense of teammates who the opposition had taken liberties with during the course of the game.  The fact that he kept fighting with his shoulder as bad as it was only speaks to his toughness though maybe not to his smarts.  If there is one criticism of Prust from this past season it is that he has no clue how to say no to a fight.  Both for his health and different situations in games, Prust is going to have to learn when to walk away without dropping the gloves because of his value to the team on the ice. 

Once considered an extra in the Olli Jokinen trade, the 27-year-old Prust has found his role in the NHL as an energetic grinding winger that provides value in numerous ways for this team.  If he can build off the 2010-11 season, then the Rangers will only continue to reap further rewards from him and have themselves an invaluable checking-line player.

For Prust it might be just pain, but his contributions to the Rangers were far from plain as he provided offense, defense, toughness and heart to a team looking to find their identity.  With one more season at $800,000 he is one of the best bargains on the team and another season like this one and he will be rewarded with a pay increase on his next deal.

GRADE: A

Should Rangers Trade Down In Round 1 To Add More Picks In Draft?

Earlier this week, I openly wondered if the New York Rangers should consider trading up in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in order to get a higher quality talent to increase the chances of getting a game changing type player.  Now that the Rangers included both of their 2011 second round picks in the trade to acquire potential top-10 pick Tim Erixon, we have to consider whether the organization should consider moving down in the first round in order to add more picks in the draft. 

Obviously this would depend on how the draft unfolds because you don’t move down if the player they are targeting with the #15 pick is still on the board, then they will stay and take the player they want with the pick.  Also, if a player who was expected to go earlier in the draft falls for some reason, they should consider selecting him, if it is a forward.  Beyond that trading down might not be a bad idea as it helps to continue stocking the system with assets and the more forwards they can add to the system, the better chance they have of finding the scoring they need down the line.  Other than the top few selections in this draft many of the players are of a similar talent level with differing question marks, so the drop in moving down into the 20’s is not as significant as it might initially appear.  The Rangers could potentially use their #15 selection and one of the many defensive prospects (Valentenko, Kundratek) to secure a later first round selection and a second rounder in return and use those picks to select multiple forward prospects.

The two main players that I would stay at #15 to select as the consensus projections go, if they are on the board, would be centers Mark McNeill and Mark Scheifele.  Both players are expected to go in the area surrounding the Rangers selection and for different reasons would be excellent fits for the organization.  Check out the scouting reports on both. 

Free Agent Preview: Anton Babchuk Bombs Would Be Welcome On Rangers Power Play

With less than a month left until the frenzy that is free agency begins and the New York Rangers will certainly be looking for offense when the market opens on July 1.  In looking ahead to the free agent market there have already been looks at Brad Richards for the first line center role, James Wisniewski as a puck-moving defender that could also aid the power play, Brooks Laich as a top-six forward and Simon Gagne as another potential cheap gamble.  Today, the looks at the free agency previews continue to look at the options on the defensive side today with Anton Babchuk, most recently of Calgary.

It might seem strange given the recent trade for defenseman Tim Erixon to be talking about signing a free agent defender, but given the fact that other than Dan Girardi the entire defensive corps would be 24 or under there could still be a need for a veteran presence.  Also, given the weakness of the free agent forward market, signing a defender would given the Rangers even more flexibility to move an NHL defender for scoring help.

There are bigger names on the market than Babchuk whether they be Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Pitkanen, Wisniewski and Kaberle, but that does not mean Babchuk cannot be the best combination of value and filling a need the Rangers have.  The Rangers do not need a first pair defender as they have Staal and Girardi firmly planted there with McDonagh and Sauer proving they are more than capable of holding down the second pair roles.  What the Rangers need in a defender is someone that can be a steady third pair player who can add offense both at even strength and on the power play.

Babchuk, 27, is coming off a season in which he scored 11 goals while adding 24 assists in 82 games.  The 35 points match his total from the 2008-09 season where he had 16 goals and 19 assists before playing in the KHL for one season in which he had nine goals and 13 assists in 49 games.  The 6-foot-5 Babchuk has an absolute rocket from the point, which is something the Rangers do not possess in their current defense core, even if Del Zotto returns as a playmaker next year.  With the man advantage Babchuk tallied six goals and seven assists this season.

Anton Babchuk is certainly not the best defender on the unrestricted free agent market, but for what he is and what the Rangers need in terms of player and cost, he is possibly the best fit for the Rangers to go after this summer.  Babchuk should be able to be signed for something like $2.5 million and potentially for only one year unlinke most of the other bigger names that are on the market while providing the Rangers with a big shot to help their power play.