Salary arbitration filings create deadline-driven negotiations, and so there is still time for the Rangers and Derek Stepan to strike a deal prior to Monday’s scheduled hearing, as Chris Kreider, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky all did on the mornings of their respective scheduled hearings and as Derick Brassard did on the eve of his last summer.

But at this point, with a wide gulf separating the parties, it’s more a question of whether the Blueshirts will decide to go for a one- or two-year arbitration award than whether the club and the 25-year-old center will be able to hammer out a long-term agreement within the next 72 hours.

The Rangers, who have the option, must declare by Saturday, when the club and player submissions are due. The decision will rest on management’s evaluation whether Stepan’s trade value would be higher on a hypothetical one- or two-year contract. Stepan is not eligible to become an unrestricted free agent until 2017.

Talks to this point have focused on a multi-year contract, with the Rangers believed interested in a six-year deal in the range of $6.5-6.75 million per while Stepan is believed seeking at least seven years in the neighborhood of $7.25-7.5 million.

If the case does go to a hearing, the award is likely to be between $5.75 million and $6.5 million, given comparables to Stepan, who was third on the club with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 68 games during the season and also third with 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) during the playoffs.

The Rangers have just about $7.35 million of available cap space for the upcoming season with a 22-player roster, including one extra forward and one extra defenseman.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Stepan most likely would be able to command in excess of $7 million per on a seven-year deal if he does indeed hit the free-agent market in two years. The Rangers don’t have the space to accommodate that outlay, not with the squeeze for this year and with current third-line center Kevin Hayes eligible for arbitration following the season.

So the question for the center is whether he is willing to secure his future now by taking less on a long-term deal to remain on a contending team in New York the way Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello have done while general manager Jeff Gorton mulls the question of one year or two for arbitration.