The Rangers have confirmed on Twitter that they have signed Ryan Callahan to a new deal. Nick Kypreos is reporting that it is a 3-year deal worth $13 million, which comes out to around $4.33 million per season. Callahan and the Rangers were scheduled to have their arbitration hearing tomorrow, but both sides were able to hammer out a new deal. Callahan was the final RFA the Rangers had to sign. It looks like the roster is essentially filled out now with the exception of a few minor moves that may happen between now and when camp opens.
Read more, including quotes from Callahan on his new deal, by clicking the link to this post above.
It went down to the wire, but once again Glen Sather managed to sign his RFA just before they were scheduled to go to arbitration.
Here are some quotes from Callahan, courtesy of Andrew Gross on Twitter:
Ryan Callahan says proposals for 4 and 5 years discussed; he wanted longer deal but $$$ worked best at 3 years.
Callahan: "I'm thrilled to be back for three years. I love playing for the Rangers."
Callahan said he was prepared for arbitration but "hoping it wouldn't come to that."
Callahan did not receive a no-trade or a no-movement clause. He said he didn't see need in a three-year deal.
Callahan said he hasn't thought about being next captain. "With or without the C, we have guys who know how to lead."
Judging from Callahan's comments, it seems like he's somewhat disappointed he didn't get a longer deal from the Rangers - not to the point that he's unhappy, just that ideally it's what he would've preferred.
If the numbers are indeed right I think it's interesting Callahan is getting more money the next two years than Dubinsky is considering Dubi is coming off a season in which he was the Rangers' top scorer. Then again, I'm also somewhat surprised that the Rangers went to a fourth year to keep Dubinsky and only locked up Callahan for three years. My guess is that the Rangers are worried about Callahan's long-term durability with the way he plays and just want to make sure he can remain healthy. Let's face it, Ryan Callahan is everything the Rangers stand for, but his style of play makes him a high injury risk with all the hits he throws and shots he blocks.
Callahan, of course, is the in-house favorite to be named the next team captain. There's still a lot of time to speculate, but no matter what letter is on his jersey the Rangers have locked up a key member of their heart and soul.
Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News is also reporting that the Rangers can choose to exercise a second buyout period now that they have 14 forwards under contract for the upcoming season. The most likely buyout candidate is Wojtek Wolski, but we'll see if the Rangers think it's worth it to cut him loose with only one more year left on his contract.
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