By Larry Brooks

Nikolai Zherdev's decision to file for salary arbitration probably means that it will be one-and-done on Broadway for the underachieving winger.

As it was, there was debate within the organization whether to qualify Zherdev at the required $3.25 million price tag after his uneven season that frustrated both Tom Renney and John Tortorella.

Now, with Zherdev seeking a contract believed in the neighborhood of $4.5M, there's little doubt the Blueshirts would walk away from an arbitration award that's even a nickel more than $3.25M, and thus make the 24-year-old winger an unrestricted free agent.

Maybe that's the end game envisioned by Zherdev's agent, Roland Hedges, who has not responded to a series of voice mail and e-mail messages left by The Post over the last three months.

Maybe Hedges believes Zherdev, who was even less effective for Tortorella than he was for Renney and who failed to register a point in the Blueshirts' seven-game first-round defeat to the Capitals, will hit a home run on the free agent market, though $3.25M for a 23-goal scorer whose work ethic comes and goes without notice would seem to clear the fence.

If Hedges believes that, he is in the minority. Why, Ottawa GM Bryan Murray last week all but said that he was insulted by being offered a tandem of Zherdev and Michal Rozsival in exchange for the toxic Dany Heatley.

The filing by Zherdev, who came to New York last summer from Columbus with Dan Fritsche in exchange for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman, in effect gives the Rangers an additional $3.25M of cap space with which to shop for a top-six forward on the free-agent and trade markets as the parties await the hearing that has not yet been scheduled.

It might open a second look at Heatley, though the Blueshirts have no more intention now than they did last week of surrendering prime young assets in order to get him. Plus, Heatley's sense of entitlement as framed by agent J.P. Barry in a recent interview with Canada's Sun Media seems excessive enough to scare anyone and everyone away.

The Rangers have held conversations with Dallas regarding Brad Richards, who has two years remaining on a contract carrying an annual $7.8M cap hit, and with San Jose concerning Patrick Marleau, who has one year to go at $6.3M on his deal, but there's no indication at this time that either player is on his way to Broadway.

There's also interest in 34-year-old Montreal free agent Saku Koivu and in 39-year-old Dallas free agent defenseman and power-play point specialist Sergei Zubov as the Rangers look to bolster a roster that is not especially imposing.