Last season, when the Rangers were on the verge of self-destructing, it was the February acquisition of agitator-extraordinaire Sean Avery that ignited the team on a run that secured them a playoff spot. Avery may be having a similar effect on the team this year, making it all the more important that the team locks up the unrestricted free agent-to be long before he hits the open market this summer.

For much of this season, the Rangers struggled despite the addition of big name free agents like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury in the off-season. Over the last few months, though, the team has been among the league’s elite, going 18-5-5 over their last 28 games. The team’s success can be attributed to several factors. The emergence of the team’s youth, such as Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes, has been complimented by Drury finally settling in as a Ranger.

Equally as important, however, has been the re-emergence of Avery. Avery battled injury problems all season, missing 25 games and playing hurt in many others through the first half of the year. Since the All-Star break, however, Avery has been on fire. While Avery was a -2 with just 15 points, including four goals, in 26 games before the mid-season classic, the 27-year-old is a +10 with 11 goals and seven assists in 26 games since.

After an altercation earlier this season during a game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, the NHL came down hard on Avery and made it clear that it would no longer tolerate his antics. The move caused Avery to rely less on his pest-like abilities and more on his hockey skills.

So far, it doesn’t seem as if the change has hampered Avery’s play as he continues to prove that he’s a better hockey player than his reputation would lead most fans to believe. Avery has managed to spotlight his quickness, excellent positioning and deadly wrist shot while curbing his dramatics. It’s even fair to say that, despite his occasional distractions, Avery has become a leader of sorts for the Rangers.

Re-signing Avery won’t be easy, though. Avery’s contract situation was messy to begin with as he and the team went through an unattractive arbitration battle last summer. The arbitrator awarded Avery a one-year deal worth $1.9 million, which Avery took in stride, looking to prove his worth this season.

Things got even uglier earlier this month when Avery and the Rangers were “far apart in each other’s view of his worth as a player.” Avery is looking for a contract of around $4 million per season while the Rangers are only interested in paying him $2.5 million for each campaign.

The Rangers’ point of view on the situation is, in many ways, understandable. For one, Avery has still never scored 25 goals in a season. Yes, he may very well have accomplished that this season if not for his injury problems, but, at the same time, his pesky and hard-nosed style of play makes it very likely that injuries may be par for the course later in his career. His well-known attitude problems are probably still in the back of Sather’s mind somewhere, even though Avery has managed to handle himself professionally of late. Worst of all, the large contracts that Sather gave to Drury, Gomez and Henrik Lundqvist have hampered his maneuverability under the salary cap.

Still, Avery has made it clear how important he is to the Rangers. While $4 million a season may be a bit much, if the Rangers can whittle him down to somewhere between $3-3.5 million per year it would be a sound investment for Sather to make.

Update, 3/29 – Yes, I still stand by this, despite Avery’s most recent off-ice debacle, with him being an alleged customer of high-priced madam Kristin Davis. Avery is denying it, but the bottom line is, Avery isn’t Eliot Spitzer, he’s a hockey player. A good one that has, for the most part, been a much bigger positive for the Rangers than a negative. Sign him, Slats. You won’t regret it…probably.