Agitating forward Sean Avery re-signed with the Rangers yesterday after he was awarded a $1.9 million salary for next season following a lengthy arbitration hearing.

Avery, who provided a huge spark to the Rangers last season after being traded by Los Angeles, earned an $800,000 raise. He was seeking $2.6 million in arbitration while New York countered with a proposal of $1.3 million. The arbitrator essentially split the difference. The hearing lasted an unusually long five hours Monday and reportedly featured some tough talk by the Rangers.

The Rangers, who are now about $2 million below the $50.3 million salarycapfornextseason, could’ve walked away from the arbitrator’s ruling but quickly signed Avery after it was handed down. Teams can be 10% over the cap until October 1.

In announcing the signing, Rangers general manager Glen Sather spoke well of the gritty left winger.

“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,” Sather said. “He is a terrific competitor, who we expect to play a significant role in a successful season.”

Pat Morris, Avery’s agent, didn’t immediately return a phone message left at his office.

Avery played in 84 games with the Rangers and Kings last season, posting career highs with 18 goals and 30 assists. He also had 174 penalty minutes, far below the previous two seasons when he led the NHL with totals above 250.

The 27-year-old Ontario native, had eight goals and 12 assists after joining the Rangers. Avery, who spent most of the first two of his five NHL seasons with Detroit, has 50 goals, 84 assists and 913 penalty minutes in 322 career games.

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The Devils signed forward Zach Parise to a four-year, $12.5 million deal yesterday.

The 23-year-old Parise was New Jersey’s second-leading scorer last season behind Patrik Elias with 31 goals and 31 assists and was third on the team with nine power-play goals.

He also had seven goals and three assists in 11 playoff games. “I’m excited, it’s definitely a weight off my shoulders so I don’t have to worry about it and can just relax and get ready for the season,” he said.

The Devils’ first-round pick in the 2003 draft came on strong after finishing his rookie season with 18 goals and 14 assists.

“I’m hoping to take on more responsibility like I did last year and be put in different situations and opportunities,” Parise said.