Dubi Day Musings

I love it when Thursdays coincide with important days for the Rangers, it helps me make clever titles.  Today is Dubi Day, as in the day Brandon Dubinsky goes to arbitration.  So, without any further ado, here are your musings on Dubi Day.

• All this panic about what’s going to happen in arbitration, and I just laugh.  It’s both sides using all the leverage they can.  Dubinsky apparently wants $5.25 million over five years, the Rangers are willing to go to $4.5 million over five years.  That’s really not that far off.
• I tweeted this, but it’s worth re-hashing here.  Arbitration is just going to be the middle ground for both sides.  If Dubi comes in at $5.25 million, and the Rangers at $4 million, then $4.5 million is the middle ground.
• Oh, and not sure if we noted this before, but Andrew Ladd’s contract is five years at $4.5 million.  Hmm…that seems like a comparable contract.  Actually, it’s exactly what the Rangers are citing in their negotiations.
• Also, can’t blame Dubi for wanting to get the most money now while he can.  Next year’s CBA negotiations are likely to get nasty, so grab as much guaranteed now while you can.
• Speaking of the nasty CBA negotiations, on the table for the negotiations: lower salary cap, the “Kovalchuk loop hole”, bonuses, AHL demotions for failed contracts, salary roll backs, etc.  It’s not going to be pretty.
• All those expecting Ryan Callahan to be signed before Dubi, it’s not happening.  Once Dubi’s arbitration date was set before Cally’s, most of the effort was going to be concentrated there.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see Cally and Dubi get locked up right after Dubi’s arbitration.
• Public transportation break: If you bring a bike on the subway, and it’s rush hour, you deserve to be banished to North Korea.
• Apparently the Rangers are in talks with Steve Eminger as a 7th defenseman.  Sounds good to me at the right price ($1 million or less).  He played well as a 7th guy last year, and played exceptionally well when Michal Rozsival was injured and Eminger had to play 20 minutes a game.
• Stamkos is locked up with the Lightning, cue the trade talks.  I say we send Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski over to Tampa for Stamkos.  Straight up. They should take that, right?
• Family break: My cousin got married last weekend, and my sister is getting married this Sunday.  Busy couple of weeks, well worth it.
• Dubi’s arbitration hearing is at 9am, so things should leak out around 11am or noon.  Stay tuned for more updates.