June 26, 2012
Beloved Rangers pugilist Brandon Prust is looking more and
more likely to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
Prust is asking for a significant raise from his $800K
salary in 2012. His demands are close to $2.2 million a year for three years
while Rangers GM Glen Sather has generously offered a deal at $1.8 million a
year. On June 23rd, the left-winger tweeted, “I wish management
wanted me back as much as the fans…Thanks for the love everyone.” I’d like to
believe that this is Prust playing hardball but all indications are that he’s
looking for a crazy payday.
Prust is an important player for the Rangers. He drops the
gloves whenever asked, throws big hits and works very hard. He’s a sparkplug who
gets the team going when they come out lethargic. And even though the team
would suffer a huge loss of morale, energy and heart, he is not worth the money
he is asking for.
Frankly, anything over $1.5
million a year is too much for Prust. After all, that’s what the Rangers paid
for Mike Rupp, who might as well be a healthy scratch every night for the
amount he produced this year. The Rangers can’t afford to give another
third/fourth-liner that kind of money. There are better options out there for
less money.
Zenon Konopka is also set to be a
UFA. Konopka destroyed the Blueshirts in the faceoff circle in their first
round matchup with Ottawa and was always seen around the net, agitating Henrik
Lundqvist with screens and shenanigans. He
and Chris Neil were a big part of the Senators taking the Rangers to seven
games in that round. This fan wishes the Rangers could sign both but Neil
rejected an offer from New York to stay in Ottawa a few years ago.
Another good sandpaper guy is
Steve Ott. Rumor has it that he can be had from the Stars for the right price
and Glen Sather should definitely give him a look. With 39 points and a bevy of
penalty minutes, not to mention his spat with Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, he’d
fit right in.
I love Brandon Prust. But I don’t
love him enough to sabotage the potential signings of Zach Parise or Justin
Schultz. Here’s to hoping he comes down
on his demands and goes right back to being a fan favorite.
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