Qualifying Offers, Restricted Free Agency and negotiations are all very weird things. With restricted free agency, the player basically has no contract—but also has no leverage. Half the time the qualifying offers are so ridiculously low, I don’t even know why they are part of the signing process. Here’s a perfect example: do you think one of the Rangers best 2-way forwards is going to accept a $698,000 qualifying offer. Welcome to Brandon Dubinsky’s world.
Dubinsky turned down his qualifying offer because it wasn’t even close to market value. On a team filled with big named, high priced players that aren’t worth the bloated contracts they were offered, Dubinsky is the kind of player that all successful teams need in their foundation. He’s a 2 way center that can help shut down the oppositions’ best players, he can win important face-offs at both ends of the ice and brings the energy that all teams need. He might not be a 40 goal scorer, but that doesn’t mean he’s not as important to his team as any other young leader in the league. Even as a young player in the NHL, he can set the tone for his team on a nightly basis. He’d make the roster for all 30 teams tomorrow.
“Dubinsky is a player who, in many ways, is tailor-made for the playoffs: he’s tough, he loves to battle down low, he’s more than capable defensively, and he always thinks about team first. That attitude and drive has translated into production; Dubinsky has been at least as productive in the playoffs as in the regular season in the WHL, AHL, and NHL.” –Japers Rink
The description nails exactly why Dubinsky is an important player for the Rangers. New York City isn’t exactly the type of city that gets excited about a 7th place finish in the Eastern Conference. To have success in the playoffs, they need gritty players like Dubinsky to be successful. For every Zetterberg and Yzerman the Red Wings had during their successful years, they had Kris Draper or Darren McCarty playing important minutes during their runs toward their multiple Stanley Cups. If the Rangers want to do anything, they’re going to have to include a few Brandon Dubinsky’s with their Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury.
The frustrating part is that it seems like the Rangers understand how valuable Dubinsky is to their team’s success. The Rangers have repeatedly stated that they fully expect to have him for the beginning of the season. And it’s a two way street—Dubinsky wants to be a Ranger. He’s been working out at the Rangers training facility for the last 3 weeks or so; and he’s indicated that he’s going to report to training camp regardless of his contract status. When asked about his ongoing negotiations, here’s what Dubinsky said:
“I want to be a Ranger… (and) the Rangers want me here; something’s gonna get done real quick and this will all be an afterthought.” –Newsday
When looking over some of the contract negotiations between the Rangers and Dubinsky, it quickly becomes apparent that money is only part of the problem. The part that is much more troublesome is that all of the Rangers offers have apparently been 2-way contracts. You have to wonder why the Blueshirts management would be insistent on a contract that would allow them to send Dubinsky to the AHL during the season. This is a guy that they should be building around, not preparing to send to the minors. Could there be ulterior motives?
I'm sure the Rangers would like to see this kind of effort from Dubinsky for years to come...
It’s no secret that the Rangers like to spend money. A couple of the biggest stories of the offseason involved the Rags—one was sending away one of their grossly overpaid blunders to the Canadiens and another was the Rangers signing the injury-prone Gaborik to a huge 5 year deal. As it stands today, they will need 2 more players for their 23 man roster and only have about $2.5 million of cap space to play with.
Are they going to want to send him down to the AHL for part of the season to save some salary cap space? If that sounds farfetched, then you should direct your attention to Bobby Ryan and his runner-up finish to the Calder Trophy last season. If his cap hit is over $1.5 million (which it probably will be) and they choose to promote Michael Del Zotto (possible), then they’re going to have to be creative with AHL/NHL transfers. It’s no wonder that a proven NHLer like Dubinsky wouldn’t want to sign a 2-way contract. Who knows what would happen.
Chances are that there will be no repercussions for the Rangers foolishness. At the end of the day, the only consequences would be an offer sheet from another team or bad feelings for his next contract. Unless Brian Burke decides that Brandon Dubinsky is where he wants to direct his possible offer sheet love, it doesn’t look like the former will be a problem. The latter, however, usually take a little more time to come to the surface. Last year, the longest restricted free agent negotiation was Patrick O’Sullivan with the Kings—and he was gone at the trade deadline. You never know how these things will affect the relationship between the player and the team.
Bottom line: the Rangers should make this happen sooner rather than later. Offer the man a reasonable one-way contract for a market value salary. He’s earned it with his play on the ice; he’s earned it with his class during the negotiations; and he’s earned it with his loyalty to the team. Make it happen so every Rangers fan can exhale a huge sigh of relief. They’ll appreciate it as much as Dubinsky will.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
