No silly…that’s Dubi, Artie and Erixon’s new jersey, not yours! (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

To the surprise of no one, D Anton Stralman signed a two year contract today rumored to be $3.4 million total. Why is this not a surprise? Because not a single player who filed for arbitration is going to get there and Stralman was scheduled for next week. I have no idea why this is the case this year (CBA?), but every player who filed seems to be settling before their arbitration date. I believe there is only one left.

As for him returning to the Rangers, I am slightly surprised. I wasn’t sure how Torts felt about him with his ice time being as low as 8 minutes or as high as 20 minutes on any given night. I also was under the impression he planned to go back to Europe next year. For whatever reason he had a change of heart and the Rangers decided they wanted him back. Honestly don’t have an opinion on him but hopefully we see more of the guy we saw in the playoffs and less of the one who kept appearing during the regular season; especially since we signed him for two years.

While they were in the process of signing RFAs, the Rangers also re-signed Connecticut goalie Cam Talbot for one year at $550k. Your move Del Zotto….

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On a separate note, I have a bone to pick with some Rangers fans the past few days. I understand you are happy we got Rick Nash and that Columbus isn’t a great team (okay, last season they were a horrible team since no one finished below them), but do we really need to chirp the Blue Jackets when they are down? It’s not cool and honestly is something I would expect from other fanbases in our division instead of ours.

You want to say we’re a better team then them because of the move? Fine. But to go out of your way to tweet the Blue Jackets official account or those who write for their site that their team is an AHL team and just got worse is plain classless to me. There’s no reason for it. They know what they are and they are trying to get better. Just like the Rangers are.

Yes they just lost their leading scorer but last I checked, we thought the two guys they gained may become 15-25 goal scorers someday. They still can. And anyone who doesn’t think the Blue Jackets could do well next year should look to the southwest at a team playing in Arizona. It was only a few years ago that they were the laughing stock of the league and it was punishment when we sent guys over there. Look how that turned out.

Personally, I hope the Blue Jackets become that guy/girl you see at your 10-year high school reunion who used to be a geek and turned into a heartthrob. And that’s not because I love Dubi or Artie or anyone on their team. It’s because that franchise deserves to win as much as any other. Imagine how you would feel if Callahan decided he wanted to leave and we went through what they did for the past six months? It’s not fun. And for anyone who doesn’t think Cally leaving is possible, talk to me at the 2014 trade deadline – the one before his current contract is up and he’s due to be a free agent.

Look, all I’m asking is show a little respect. You want to say the Rangers are a better team, go right ahead. But no reason to all of a sudden be all high and mighty and go after the Blue Jackets. It gives the rest of us a bad rep.

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And finally because I don’t want to end on a bad note, the Rangers tweeted this beyond adorable picture earlier this evening:

Dan Girardi tending goal against his son Landon during the taping of Beginnings.

And I thought I couldn’t get more excited for that episode of Beginnings?