The New York Rangers managed to avoid arbitration by signing Derek Stepan to a long-term deal at the 11th hour.
Stepan's new contract will see him earn an average of $6.5 million per season for the next six years.
In this hotstove we discuss whether or not he's worth the money.
Todd Cordell I don't think Stepan is a steal at that price but I have no problem with the contract. In other words he's worth the money.
Stepan isn't a great possession guy but he has 112 points and more than 350 shots in 150 games over the last two seasons. That's excellent production and at 25 years of age he still has room to improve.
With a six-year term the Rangers have him signed for the entirety of his prime and his contract will be over by the team we see a real decline in his game. This seems very reasonable.
Tim Chiasson $6.5M is probably a little more than you want to pay Derek Stepan, but who else on the Rangers is going to fill his role?
He's a consistent point producer and there are worse contracts out there. If the New York Rangers played hardball over a million dollars, or whatever the difference was going to be, they may have ran their top center out of town. That's something that no team can afford to do.
Stepan is a good hockey player and he's worth a good chunk of change. If he can produce at last years point pace, and rebound his possession game, the slight over-payment won't even be noticed. The Rangers really didn't have a choice. They had to get him locked up for some UFA years
James Tanner Good deal. Worth it. A#1 C for less than Phaneuf? Less than Stastny, only a million and a half more than Soderberg.....basically there are a bunch of players worse than Stepan who make more money.
He makes 70% of Toews, while scoring at roughly the same pace. I definitely am not saying he's as good as Toews, but he's likely at least 70% (if not more) as good as he is.
He signed for less than Kesler and he's about 7 years younger and already better. Great move by NYR.
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