Dubinsky Wants $4.5 Million? OMG LET’S PANIC!

Yes, the title of this post is blatant sarcasm. Disclaimer: If you can’t handle sarcasm, please stop reading this post.

Ok, now this article by Larry Brooks sure did spark some debate in the Twitter world. In it, there is a little blurb about the Brandon Dubinsky contract negotiations, and what the Dubinsky camp was initially asking for:

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.

For those familiar with any form of negotiating, you always ask for more than what you want initially, and then work your way down to a fair price. Considering we already looked into what Dubinsky was going to get, this initial asking price is pretty much on par with what is expected in any negotiation. I’d guess that Dubinsky will get a little more than the $3.5 million The Suit predicting (especially with the Drew Stafford contract now resetting market value), so I’ll put it at a little under $4 million, as Dubinsky doesn’t have a 30 goal season yet.

But yet, despite all this, my Twitter feed and @ mentions were bombarded with ridiculous Dubinsky complaints. Let’s get one thing straight, when I’m in Vegas, I don’t want to read irrational tweets….or anything on Twitter. But, since my phone vibrates when I get Twitter mentions, I naturally check it. Let’s go through what some of these tweets were after the jump.

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Jagr Not Even Considering NHL Return?

Apparently the great 68 is not even discussing terms with NHL clubs over a return to the league he once dominated. Jagr’s agent, Jaroslav Zidek, said that Jaromir was only talking to KHL teams at the moment with SKA of St Petersburg apparently leading the way. Once again playing devil’s advocate, what would Jagr really mean if he shocked the world and came back to NY?

The Good: Jagr still possess unbelievable skill, at a level not even Gaborik can match – indeed there are not that many current NHL superstars throughout the league that boast the skill set of Jagr. An infusion of such skill is sorely needed for the Rangers. He’d help the power play and certainly alleviate some of the pressure and attention off the Rangers other skilled star, Gaborik. He proved at the recent World Championship he has plenty left to give, but at what capacity and on what line remains to be seen.

The Bad: Can his ego survive not being the ‘main guy’ if he chose a place like New York? Would his recruitment retard the development of a young player or block the chances of acquiring a younger skilled forward? After all, there are only so many spots to go around. Then there are wage demands; while they may not be at the level he commanded in his previous turn on Broadway it’s unclear what he’d expect to come back – surely it would not be peanuts. One would also need to consider whether he would mesh with a coach like Tortorella? Unlikely.

The truth: With every passing rumour from his agent, out of the KHL or in the domestic Czech media it seems an NHL return is becoming less likely. A return to a club like the Rangers, on a distinct youth movement seems even more unlikely. Yes, he could certainly add to the current Rangers but the key question is at what cost? If Sather hasn’t been in contact yet, there’s a pretty high chance he won’t be anytime soon. It seems it is time to remember Jagr purely on his past Blueshirt merits.

What Is A Fair Contract For Matt Gilroy?

With the plethora of restricted free agents the Rangers have this summer, Matt Gilroy is often lost in the fold.  Signed to a two-year deal as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2009-2010 season (with a cap hit of $1.75 million), Gilroy has been less than stellar in his two years.  Often a healthy scratch, Gilroy has just 26 points in 127 games during the length of his contract, a far cry from what was expected of him coming to the Rangers.  Due to this underwhelming performance and hefty contract, many didn’t even expect Gilroy to receive an offer this offseason.  However, Larry Brooks is reporting that the Rangers are “expected” to offer Gilroy a multi-year deal this summer:

Rangers To Sign Hagelin Soon?

As per Larry Brooks, the Rangers are aiming to sign 2007 sixth round draft pick, and University of Michigan star left wing Carl Hagelin at the conclusion of the Wolverines’ season. The end of their season will likely be either during Frozen Four regional play (March 25-27), or after the Frozen Four (April 7-9). The Swedish winger will not make an appearance with the Rangers, as he will not be allowed on the playoff roster. Should he sign immediately following the end of the Michigan season, he would report to the AHL’s Connecticut Whale for the end of their regular season and playoffs.

Hagelin has been absolutely brilliant in Ann Arbor. In the 40+ game college season, Hagelin has never totaled less than 11 goals or 22 points. His numbers have improved each year through his senior year, where he has a line of 17-30-47 in 38 games, heading into the CCHA playoffs and Frozen Four. Last year, statistically his best year thus far, Hagelin finished with a line of 19-31-50 in 45 games. In addition to his offensive contributions, Hagelin is a fantastic two-way player, and is extremely disciplined, with no more than 35 PIMs in any season to date.

Hagelin projects out to be a third line forward with an offensive touch who kills penalties. His greatest asset is his speed. I get the Big Ten Network as part of my Cablevision package (I still don’t know how or why), and I had the opportunity to watch him play on TV a few times. He looked to be a step ahead of the college competition, both in skill and foot speed. The kid is just plain old fast.

Hagelin is currently the Rangers #8 prospect on Hockey’s Future.

Updates on Fedotenko, Gaborik, Staal and McCabe Rumors

For those expecting concrete news to come out of today’s New York Rangers practice you will be sadly disappointed as the day had more of a dump it deep in the zone and wait until tomorrow to see if they can chase it down feel to it.  There are updates for Ruslan Fedotenko, Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik to sift through though.

In the good news department, Ruslan Fedotenko took part in practice again today, this time with some contact and battling.  Signs point to a return in the very near future, with it being possible for tomorrow night against Washington, but they will not know that for sure until tomorrow morning according to Tortorella.  During practice he skated along with Avery, Newbury and Prust.  Getting Fedotenko back would be a huge lift for the club as they are only 5-8-1 since he sprained his shoulder on January 19^th and then had his recovery sidetracked by an emergency appendectomy.  If people did not appreciate how important Fedotenko was to the forecheck while he was in there they certainly are aware of it now.

In other positive news, Jesse Spector of the Daily News reports that Marian Gaborik is said to be feeling better, but that coach Tortorella was unsure if he was symptom free.  The team ran some blood work on Gaborik to see if there was any deficiencies in the results, but the coach was not sure what they were looking for and the results had not come back yet to his knowledge.

Now that you have been built up with good news it is time for the potentially bad news of the day.  Marc Staal, who twisted his knee Tuesday against Carolina, sat out practice today, and is said to be having soreness in the knee.  The main complaint though according to Jim Cerny, is about a lack of strength that he feels in the knee.  Staal will test it out tomorrow morning to see if he can go, but Andrew Gross labeled him as “iffy” for tomorrow’s contest against Ovechkin at the Capitals.

No doubt that missing Staal in the lineup would be a huge loss for the defense core, but it might be better to sit him for a game than push him back when he is not ready to go and risk prolonging the issue.

There were a couple of playful stories relayed out by the beat writers that involved Marc Staal today.  The first was how he was getting flak from the guys in the locker room, especially Martin Biron, for not practicing today.  The other was about Staal refuses to call his mother right now and is keeping communication strictly text based while she “cools down.”

Jesse Spector passes along these quotes:

“I have not talked to my mom about it yet,” Marc said. “She’s given me a few text messages, but I haven’t spoken too her on the phone. Not until I let her calm down. That’s probably the worst conversation out of the (family).”

Finally in the never ending trade rumor saga of close but not done there is another rumor about how Bryan McCabe could be on his way to New York shortly.  This one is passed along by Miami Herald sportswriter George Richards on his blog, On Frozen Pond, who says that the deal is close to being finalized.  Like with all rumors they are just that until it is actually done.  McCabe still has not waived his no-movement clause and he was on the team flight to Atlanta this afternoon, which does not preclude the deal from happening, but might eliminate a little of the immanency.

Updated Lines/Practice Notes; McCabe Rumors Intensify

As per Jesse Spector (all tidbits here are as per Spector), the Rangers had to shuffle their lines in tonight’s must-win against Carolina, with Marian Gaborik out of the lineup, and Kris Newbury being called up

Prospal-Boyle-Christensen, Avery-Newbury-Prust, Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello, Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan

The Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello and Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan line are the lines that most predicted would be in tact following the roster moves made for Gaborik’s injury. Gaborik did not make the trip to Raleigh for tonight’s game, and is going to be evaluated by a doctor today to determine the severity of his concussion.

Steve Eminger will likely be the healthy scratch again tonight, as he skated with Ruslan Fedotenko at practice today. Eminger has been a healthy scratch for the entire month of February, save for the February 13 game against Pittsburgh. Michael Del Zotto will be in the lineup again, despite the fact that his confidence is completely shot. The kid is having an off year, and you only get through off years and slumps by playing through them.

Two last tidbits from the morning skate, Brandon Prust is healthy, and it was the coaches’ decision to bench him in the third period of Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Henrik Lundqvist was the first goalie off the ice at this morning’s skate, so he will likely be the starter.

Also, the Bryan McCabe rumors to the Rangers have intensified, as it is no longer just speculation that the Rangers are interested. From various people on Twitter, the Rangers are heavily involved with the Panthers for the veteran defenseman. The Rangers are on the record stating they won’t move significant pieces or a first round pick to acquire him though. If I were a betting man, I would assume that Matt Gilroy and the spare second round pick are in play for McCabe. I would also assume that Erik Christensen is also in play for McCabe.

The rumors are so intense that McCabe’s Wikipedia page had an excerpt saying that he had been traded to the Rangers for Matt Gilroy and a second round pick. This has since been removed.

Did Rangers Have Deal For McCabe Before Injury?

There has been a lot of talk about the Rangers and defensemen that might be available through trades.  The hot name right now is Florida’s Bryan McCabe and that talk got more intriguing today with the report from Andy Stickland on his blog at True Hockey in which he wrote that multiple sources confirmed there was a deal in place between the Rangers and the Panthers before McCabe broke his jaw.

The New York Rangers are still looking for a D-man. It will be interesting to see if they re-visit a deal that almost went down with Florida’s Bryan McCabe several weeks ago.

A broken jaw to McCabe prevented the trade from happening but multiple sources confirm a deal was in place between Florida and the Rangers. Panthers GM Dale Tallon would love to still move McCabe who will take full advantage of his no-move clause. Word is McCabe is very selective as to where he would go.

With McCabe now back in the lineup and the Rangers presumably still looking for a defenseman it is likely that these talks will be re-visited, but one has to wonder how much the other trades in the past few weeks might have changed the demands from the Panthers in order to trade McCabe away.  One must also wonder if in the wake of Gaborik’s concussion if the needs for offense might take precedence over acquiring a defenseman right now.

The Anatomy Of A Rumor

The trade deadline is a fun time of the year. Fan GMs around the world unite and create their ideal trades to help their favorite teams. This is all in good fun, and the proposals generally range from the downright ridiculous to the fair and reasonable. However, these are not rumors. The rumors are the ones generally started by a blog or a mainstream media outlet who has an “inside source”. It’s very tough to decipher what is an actual rumor and what is something that is being made up to fit the needs of one team.

For example, let’s take this Michael Del Zotto for Chris Phillips swap. This makes no sense at all. This is not a rumor, it’s someone who is saying the Rangers need a defenseman, and the Senators are selling, so clearly this makes “sense”. The Rangers have shown they aren’t going to deal core youth, and Phillips doesn’t fit the powerplay QB need. In essence, this was a rumor made to get hits. It makes no logical sense for the Rangers to make this deal, so let’s all breathe a little easier now.

Another fun rumor is the Marian Gaborik to Minnesota for Cam Barker, Antii Miettinen and a conditional second round pick. This one makes less sense than the first one. The Rangers have no need for Barker or Miettinen, and there’s no trading Gaborik unless a first round pick is included at the bare minimum. The Rangers aren’t trading their best skater for a collection of bottom-six/bottom-pairing players. If a deal is going to be struck, using the hypothetical LA Kings scenario, the discussions begin and end with Brayden Schenn. Since that won’t happen, Gaborik won’t go to LA.

These are rumors that, when you take a step back and really look at the details, make no sense. A deal that would make sense for the Rangers would be something involving their spare second round pick, a mid-level prospect, or a spare part on the roster (read more on that here). For the Rangers, their glaring need is a veteran defenseman who plays the powerplay. They might need a top-six forward, but that is less of a need than the defenseman. The Rangers aren’t going to mortgage the future for a rental, so let’s do ourselves a favor and take a deep breath before reacting to rumors.

Scouts At Panthers/Blues Game Monday

As per David Neal of the Miami Herald, the Rangers were one of many teams who had scouts at Monday’s Florida/St. Louis game, which saw the Blues win 2-1 in Miami. Both teams are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, and are at least three games back of the teams in front. Gaining points and leapfrogging other teams in the standings is tough, and both teams figure to be sellers at the deadline.

Considering Glen Sather’s desire to only take on expiring contracts, it is unlikely the Rangers were there to scout Stephen Weiss or David Booth. There are few players on the Panthers I think would actually appeal to the Rangers, given the need to not have any additional money hitting the summer cap. The only one I can picture the Rangers trading for is Bryan McCabe, who is still out with a broken jaw. Maybe Marty Reasoner is an option as a veteran center, if Chris Drury’s knee turns out to be more serious than anticipated.

On St. Louis, there are few players approaching free agency that I think the Rangers would be interested in. The biggest one I would think is Eric Brewer ($4.25 million), who is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Brewer is having a decent year, he is being consistent with his career averages, but has already matched his career high in goals (8), although none of them have come on the powerplay. I can also picture the Rangers looking at Brad Boyes ($4 million, signed through next season), but that is less likely since the Rangers would need to send salary back to St. Louis.

The Rangers are preparing for the Trade Deadline, and we will be hearing of reports of scouts at games until February 28 arrives. This is probably them doing their homework on ways to fix the powerplay. It is unlikely the Rangers are going to take on salary heading into the summer, as Wade Redden’s $6.5 million comes back to the summer cap (10% increase on salary cap ceiling). With both St. Louis and Florida falling behind in the playoff race, it makes sense for the Rangers to scout both teams and see if there is a potential fix for the powerplay. As of now, I would just chalk this up to the Rangers doing their homework.

No Re-Entry For Souray Unless Claim Is “Guaranteed”; Rangers Will Pass

As per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Sheldon Souray is available to anyone who will claim him off re-entry waivers. Right now, the only team linked to Souray is the Rangers, and the Oilers will not put him on re-entry waivers unless he is guaranteed to be picked up b y another team. Apparently, Edmonton General Manager Steve Tambellini does not want the veteran defenseman around his young Oilers team at all, and will not consider a recall unless he is going to be claimed.

Although the Rangers were rumored to be interested in Souray, Mark Spector of Sportsnet writes that scouts left unimpressed with Souray. According to Spector, Souray was being routinely beat by the opposition in the AHL, and his speed was becoming a huge negative for the big defenseman:

“You want to like him,” said a source familiar with the Rangers activities over the weekend. “But you can’t deny what your eyes are seeing.”

I spoke with Greg Manning of Hershey Bears Hockey, who had some nice things to say about Souray. It looks like Souray is Hershey’s version of Wade Redden. He comes to play, he has not been a locker room cancer, and the team has not been negatively affected by his presence. According to Greg, Souray still has his big shot and physical presence, but probably couldn’t slide into a top-four defenseman role. He also comes with an injury concern, as he has only played 22 games this season.

Souray might have been an answer a few years ago, but he is clearly not the answer anymore. It’s sad too, because all Souray had to do was impress, and he was bound for New York as a second chance. So it looks like the Rangers dodged a bullet here, as Souray’s $2.7 million cap hit (from re-entry waivers) would have been an issue heading into an off-season with several key players hitting restricted free agency. The Rangers are going to have to look elsewhere for a solution to the powerplay woes. I’m still holding out for Bryan McCabe, depending on asking price of course.