The New York Rangers and center Derek Stepan dodged arbitration Monday after announcing that both sides agreed to a six-year deal reportedly worth $39 million with an annual value of $6.5 million.
Stepan was a huge part of the Rangers' success last season as he played in 68 regular season games and tallied 55 points (16 goals, 39 assists).
In their playoff campaign during the 2014-15 season, the 25-year-old National Hockey League (NHL) player had five goals and seven assists.
One of those playoff goals was crucial as it was a series-clincher against the Washington Capitals in the second-round of last season's playoffs.
Unfortunately in their Eastern Conference Final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stepan did not score a single point in the last four games, according to NHL.com, as the Rangers got eliminated from the season after seven games.
Despite the outcome of the 2014-15 season, Stepan is happy with his new deal and believes the Rangers are ready to take the next step in the upcoming season.
"It's a great feeling. I can't be more excited to be a part of a team that I absolutely love. I love the city of New York, I'm grateful for the fans, grateful for the management there. Me and my wife are extremely happy to be there for the next six years," Stepan stated according to NHL.com.
Stepan also commended the Rangers' new general manager Jeff Gorton, who is just in his first offseason with the team, for the way they worked out his contract.
He said there was no bad blood between both sides with arbitration lingering and believed that they were always so close to a new deal before a new one was agreed upon.
"It went the way I wanted it to. Hats off to him and to my agent for doing it the way they did," Stepan said.
He added that having six more years to be a part of an organization that treated him well and that is ready to take the next step is really special for him.
