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Dubinsky Needs to Produce
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/23/09 at 01:17 PM ET
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As all you New York Ranger fans are well aware of, Brandon Dubinsky resigned with the team this past weekend. He’s a fan favorite at the Garden and is a player that works hard, throws the body, puts pucks to the net and steps up for his teammates.
However, with a new two-year, $3.7 million contract, Dubinsky better bring some points to the table. Sure, he produced 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) last season but that means absolutely nothing now to head coach John Tortorella, who said the following to NHL.com yesterday:
“A scorer?” Tortorella asked rhetorically on Tuesday. “I think that’s why they held out for that contract, didn’t they? I hope so. I’m serious. We’re not paying him ($1.8 million) to check. I’m not trying to run him down, but when it comes to that there are expectations and there are responsibilities that come into play now.”
With that in mind, Dubinsky is going to have to become a more prolific offensive player for the Rangers. He’s going to have to go even harder to the net, not pass up opportunities to shoot the puck, which he did on more than one occassion last season, and he will have to limit the amount of dry spells he goes through.
Remember, he was one of the top scorers in the league in the beginning of last season and then came back down to earth. Under Tortorella for a full season and with a new contract, Dubi is going to have to live up to higher expectations and one has to wonder how he will handle it. Personally, I see one of two things happening:
First Scenario: Torts’ gives him first-line duties with Gaborik and he exceeds the 41 points he produced last year by 20 or so more points, which would put him in the 60 to 65-point range. I would say that’s living up to the contract and proving to his team and the rest of the league that he’s more than a grinder and has an offensive upside to offer.
Second Scenario: Dubi produces at the same clip last season and does not crack the 50-point barrier. I wouldn’t call that a total failure but if you are playing on the first line, you have to be able to produce and skate with the best.
Dubinsky is saying all the right things to the media and he believes that he can be an offensive player. With that said, it’s time for Dubi to literally put his money where his mouth is and produce.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, New+York+Rangers,
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Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla’s Korner, you can also find Patrick’s work over at RLD Hockey, Rangers Tribune, and TheGoodPoint.com.
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1.8 for dubinsky is not that big a deal, if mat cooke, jarrko rutuu get that kinda money then dubs can get it. I mean, cooke held out for 1.5 million per year on the first year after the lock out when the salary cap was like 39 million or so. 1.8 for dubs is nothing to complain about.
Posted by Luongo-is-my-hero on 09/24/09 at 03:04 AM ET