Dubinsky Deal Done, And He Cashes In Nicely

New York Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky, who missed the first week of training camp during a contract impasse, signed a two-year deal today, and the coin he reaped makes his absence until now worth the practices and exhibition games he missed.

Dubinsky, 23, will make $1.7 million this season and $2 million in 2010-11. So, basically, he more than doubled his average NHL salary from his initial three-year entry deal.

Dubinsky is entering his third season in the NHL. In two previous seasons, he has played every game, 164 in all, and racked 27-54--81 totals. Last season, he also ranked seventh in the league in hits (251) and led the Blueshirts in face-off percentage (53.6%).

Dubinsky is a fourth-year pro -- he had one season of seasoning with Hartford of the American Hockey League before stepping into the world's best league. He entered this fall as a restricted free agent, which gave him very little negotiating leverage.

For Dubinsky, it will be interesting to see where he fits in with the Rangers this season -- seems he's likely to be, at worst, the second-line center. If he's the first-line center, he'll get to work with Marian Gaborik, the sniper from Slovakia. That's provided Gaborik, New York's big free-agent signing in the off-season, can stay healthy -- he hasn't played an exhibition game yet, and has been plagued by groin and hip problems the last few seasons. In the last four seasons, all with the Minnesota Wild, Gaborik played 207 games, but missed 121.

Of course, Dubinsky's gain is somewhat Paul Crowder's loss. The former UAA center, who turned pro last spring, moved up one spot on the Rangers' depth chart while Dubinsky was without a contract. Still, Crowder likely is ticketed for Hartford anyway.