The New York Rangers signed agitator Sean Avery to a one-year, $1.9 million contract that was decided by an arbitrator on Wednesday.
Avery, 27, made $1.1 million last season, when he scored a career-best 48 points. He finished fifth in the league with 174 penalty minutes after leading the previous two seasons in that category.

The award went slightly in the Rangers' favor. They had offered $1.3 million and he had been seeking $2.6 million, according to the New York Post.

Teams often downplay a player's accomplishments in arbitration, but the Rangers said in their brief that he was "a reasonably effective player as well as a detriment to the team," the Post reported. They added that he was not mature and "plays, at times, like an individual rather than a member of a team."

But the Rangers were overflowing in praise when accepting the award.

"We are pleased to have Sean under contract and are looking forward to him returning with the same passion and enthusiasm he brought to our team last year," general manager Glen Sather said in a release. "He is a terrific competitor, who we expect to play a significant role in a successful season."

Avery had been a key to a Rangers' turnaround last season. They had been lacking grittiness when they acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 5. They finished the season on a 17-6-6 roll and he played a major role in irritating and shutting down the Atlanta Thrashers' stars in a first-round sweep. He was held without a point, though, as the Rangers lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.

He's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.