It was a long, drawn-out battle, but the Rangers have finally reached a contract agreement with Brandon Dubinsky, their projected first-line center who missed the first week of camp because of contract disputes.
While the Rangers met the Bruins in a preseason matchup on Saturday afternoon, Dubinsky was putting the finishing touches on a two-year, $3.7 million deal, according to The New York Post.
"I'm relieved that this is over and excited to be putting my focus on getting ready for the season with my teammates," Dubinsky told the Post. "It's been very tough for me to be away from the guys and watch the team play exhibition games [on TV]."
The 23-year-old recorded 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in 82 games with New York in 2008-09. He started off his season with 11 points in 11 games but then fell into a number of scoring droughts for the rest of the year. In 2009-10, he likely will join a first line that also features Marian Gaborik.
"I don't look at last year as a failure for me, but as a year where I learned a lot of valuable lessons," he told the Post. "In evaluating this season, I learned how important consistency is, how important it is to approach each game with the same level of work ethic, and how to approach each game without being too high or low. That's going to be my big focus this season."
Another of Dubinsky's focuses? Refusing to dwell on his lengthy holdout and instead concentrating on what he can do to help his team in the future.
"I'm not looking back," he said. "I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to help the Rangers be the best team we can be this season."
