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News broke on Friday that the New York Rangers came to terms with defenseman Dan Girardi, locking him up with the franchise for at least the next six seasons. The final contract agreement between the Rangers and Girardi came down to a six-year contract worth $5.5 million per year.
After the contract was signed, many fans then figured that Ryan Callahan should definitely get more money than Girardi because he is a better player and the Rangers’ captain; however, that is just not true. Callahan is not better than Girardi in many ways. Just because you are the team’s captain does not mean you are automatically better than everyone else, the best player on the team and deserve the most money.
Girardi is a defenseman, so of course he is not going to put up the offensive numbers that Callahan would produce, but if you look at it, it is not like Callahan’s name has been mentioned a lot in the box score recently. In Callahan’s last 30-plus games he has four goals, and total on the season has 11 goals and 13 assists in 43 games played. Girardi, on the other hand, has played in all 60 of the Rangers’ games this season and has four goals and 13 assists. So Girardi, a defensive-minded defenseman by the way, has the same amount of assists as Callahan has on the season yet Callahan thinks he is worth a seven-year contract worth $7 million per season.
What gives him the right, the sheer audacity, to ask for such a high number?
One could say he only has the same amount of assists as Girardi because Callahan has only played in 43 games this season, but that is just it. Callahan is way too injury prone for that type of long-term commitment and does not produce enough offense to warrant making $7 million per year.
Unlike Girardi, Callahan in his entire career has never played a full 82-game season and has never scored over 54 points in any given year. Does he really think he deserves the contract he wants based solely on the fact that he is the Rangers’ captain?
His contract demands are just completely absurd if you ask me. If Callahan does not lower his asking price to what Girardi just received with his new contract, then the Rangers’ should ship Callahan out of New York City as soon as possible, before he leaves through free agency in the offseason and the Rangers get nothing for him in return.
Steven Carollo is a New York Rangers and sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, add him on Facebook, connect with him on LinkedIn, and join his Google network.
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