Rangers News: Nik Zherdev and Ryan Callahan file for salary arbitration

I dont know if you saw the playoffs—because I sure didnt see you playing—but you didnt score a single point in 7 games.

Callahan … come on man.

Arbitration is NEVER a good sign. Its such a combative process; basically the club will provide reasoning as to why the player is not worth the money he feels he deserves. In the case with Zherdev, I’m not surprised, nor will there be any love lost.

Hopefully Callahan looks at it as motivation for the upcoming season, in the case that he loses his arbitration.

there is still plenty of time before a hearing would be held for agreements to be made.

see arbitration actually working out for either the player or the team. For example Mike Cammaleri or Avery

i think there is a chance zherdev gets moved before arbitration

The Rangers can ask for a salary arbitration for Zherdev for his play in the playoffs right? That way they can save up on money if the Rangers and Zherdev don’t agree on anything.

Steve Zipay at Newsday breaks it down:

A player and team can continue to negotiate until the date of a hearing, scheduled between July 20 and Aug. 4. If there’s no agreement, the player and team each propose a salary for the upcoming season and argue their cases at a hearing. A third- party arbitrator weighs the arguments and sets the player’s salary. Within 48 hours, the team can decline the salary, and the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Among the evidence that can be presented: Statistics in all previous seasons;
injuries, illnesses and the number of games played, length of service with the team and in the NHL, the player’s “overall contribution” to the team’s success or failure, the player’s “special qualities of leadership or public appeal”. Salaries and performance can be compared to other players, but not an unrestricted free agent who signed a contract. The team’s finances and the cap situation are not permitted as evidence.

Prediction: Zherdev goes to arbitration and is awarded a raise and the Rangers might walk, given the fact that he didn’t accept the QO. Callahan will have a deal before the hearing.

Don’t sweat the Callahan number, the Rangers qualified him at what the rule allowed them to. You can’t really compare this to the Avery case, there is always going to be acrimony when management and Avery get together. No reason to think there will be any bad blood between Callahan and the Rangers front office.

It’s a business guys, remember that. Both sides have to treat it that way.

Ranger Rants

The Rangers have made all the right noises about how much Zherdev means to them – and it’s true if he ever put together some consistency with his offensive talents he’d be a lethal player – but there’s a strong sense Zherdev has little use for John Tortorella and, quite possibly, vice versa. Callahan, meanwhile, is considered a core Ranger so much so that the Rangers would have preferred shipping Brandon Dubinsky to the Senators in any Dany Heatley trade rather than Callahan.

Most likely, the Rangers will make a longer-term offer to Callahan and the two sides will settle.

I really would give him this year to turn it around. I really think that if Dubinsky was centering both Zherdev and Gaborik, Zherdev would have a more productive year. The downfall to that would be that Zherdev would pick up on Gaborik and not play for half the season … never mind, he does that already, Yeah let him go.