The Rangers today have decided to part ways with forward Nikolai Zherdev after an arbitration hearing on Friday resulted in a figure the Rangers didn't want to pay. The Rangers presented an offer of about $3 million while Zherdev wanted about $4.5 million. The arbitrator went about right in the middle at $3.9 million and the Rangers decided it was best to walk away and let the Russian become an unrestricted free agent.
So what happens now? Zherdev can sign negotiate and sign with any other NHL team or with a team in the KHL in Russia. The Rangers have freed up some cap room, which they will likely use to sign Brandon Dubinsky to a deal and possibly add another winger. Some names involved could be Alex Tanguay, Mike Grier, or Petr Sykora.
This was an expected move, and in my mind, the right move for the Rangers. Zherdev is a talented player who can score and stick handle tremendously. However, he has shown a lack of energy and desire on a nightly basis. Some nights, he'll play well and give it his all. Other nights, he wishes he was elsewhere. This team cannot afford to pay big bucks for a player like that.
Dubinsky is a bigger piece to the Rangers' future and has plenty of talent as well. Lock him up and get a veteran that can provide some experience and scoring to give the roster some depth. However, the Rangers are all about bringing up their talented youth and letting them help the team. Zherdev appears like a guy who would rather play in Russia rather than in the NHL. Either way, you can't fault the Rangers for walking away at this point. It's sad that a guy with so much talent simply doesn't bring it every game.
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