Rangers Sign Marian Gaborik to Five-Year Contract

The New York Rangers made a big splash during the first day of free agency by signing right wing Marian Gaborik to a five-year contract worth $37.5 million. The deal averages out to $7.5 million per season. The Wild had been attempting to negotiate a new contract with Gaborik for the past several months, but talks stalled numerous times. Reports out of Minnesota suggested Gaborik did not get along with former head coach Jacques Lemaire or former general manager Doug Risebrough and that was why a deal could not be had. After Lemaire stepped down and Risebrough fired, many thought that Gaborik would be willing to sign a new contract with the Wild, but again contract talks stalled and he opted to test the free agent market. The oft-injured Gaborik appeared in only 17 games last season with the Minnesota Wild in another season shortened by injury. He scored 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points. He missed 27 games last season with a back injury and then another 38 games after suffering a hip injury. In 502 career games over eight seasons, all with the Wild, Gaborik has 219 goals and 218 assists for 437 points. This is a very risky signing for the Rangers, as Gaborik has suffered numerous injuries over his career and has only played in a few full seasons. He is a very talented forward with lots of speed, offensive skill and goal-scoring talent, but can never seem to stay healthy. Signing him for $7.5 million is kind of high for an injury-prone player, but was expected to sign for at least $8 million per season, with some pundits predicting he could have gotten as much as $10 million per season. The good news for the Rangers is that if Gaborik misses a lot of time with an injury, which I would expect him to over the next five years, he can go long-term injured reserve & his salary won’t count against their cap space. The bad news is that the Rangers could have signed several other high-profile forwards fro the same money who don’t have the injury history that Gaborik does.