The smash Broadway offseason run rolls on for the Rangers, who yesterday avoided arbitration with Brandon Dubinsky by signing their cornerstone Blueblood winger to a four-year, $16.8 million contract for an annual $4.2 million cap hit.
“I wanted to be in New York, it’s the place I live year-round, it’s the place I love, and I want to be here forever and win with this team,” Dubinsky, who led the Blueshirts in goals, assists and points (24, 30, 54) last season in establishing career highs in each category, told The Post. “At the end of the day, I think it’s a home run for me.
“I hope the team feels the same way.”
It’s a grand slam for the Rangers, who have only Ryan Callahan unaccounted for among last year’s returning varsity. Callahan has an arbitration hearing scheduled for Thursday, but this deal establishes a benchmark that should clear the way for the Rangers and their alternate captain to reach an agreement on a long-term deal before the hearing.
Dubinsky, who plays with an edge and wears his heart on his sleeve, would be a top-six forward on any team in hockey. He is a candidate to join Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik on the Rangers’ first line. If not, he will reprise his role as second-line left wing with Callahan on the other side and a center to be named later while remaining a staple on the power play and penalty-kill units.
“I can’t wait to get going,” Dubinsky said. “With the moves we’ve made and the guys we’re bringing back, I think we’ve had a great summer.
“With what Richie brings in so many different areas, it goes without saying how important he’s going to be. Signing Mike Rupp was great for us, knowing how tough he is from playing against him so much with the Penguins.
“We have a lot to prove here but I’m confident we have the team to do it. Our young guys are veterans now. We have high expectations for ourselves. I think we can be contenders in the East. I really believe that.”
The contract agreement — which includes a $1 million signing bonus next July 1 as a form of lockout/rollback protection — was forged following late-night and early-morning negotiations in Toronto between the winger’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, and club assistant general manager Jeff Gorton, who was set to represent the Rangers at the hearing.
It is a fair-market agreement that has the added value of removing Dubinsky from the contract merry-go-round, two years after a lengthy stalemate caused him to miss the opening week of training camp before he signed the $3.7 million deal that ran through last season.
“I understand the contract carries expectations, but that’s great because I have high expectations of myself,” Dubinsky said. “This isn’t an entry-level deal. This isn’t a second-level deal. They’re making me one of the highest paid players on the team, and that carries some weight, but I’m ready for it.
“Now, it’s just hockey, just about winning. I can approach the year with peace of mind.”