The ink was barely dry on an arbitrator's ruling Wednesday that Sean Avery deserved an $800,000 raise this coming season before the Rangers signed him to the one-year, $1.9-million contract that was awarded. Sounds like business trumped any hard feelings. The ruling -- which followed an apparently contentious Monday hearing in Toronto -- essentially split the difference between what the 27-year-old winger sought ($2.6 million) and what the club offered ($1.3 million).