What's this I've been hearing about AV going on about how great Girardi is and is a big key to the Rangers success?
http://nypost.com/2016/04/17/vigneault-rangers-arent-done-with-unfairly-criticized-girardi/ “Dan, in my estimation, is a real solid defenseman,” Vigneault said on a conference call. “He plays through more things than I’ve seen a lot of players that I’ve coached play through. He’s always team-first, and it’s always, ‘I can play.’ At some point, sometimes, the medical staff and the coaching staff says, ‘Well, this year, it’s probably better if we give you a little bit more time to get better.’ “If it was up to Dan, he’d be playing. I think he’s been probably unfairly criticized. And when he’s ready to come back, I’m sure he’s going to play real well for us.”
Which defenseman are going to play tomorrow? McDonagh's back at practice today in full drills paired with Raphael Diaz. Raphael Diaz is working on the second PP unit today at practice. That could just be a decoy pairing, but if it is, why is Diaz taking PP time during practice from Skjei? Girardi wasn't at practice today.
Send Girardi to recover at a nice waterfront condo in Tahiti and send the private jet to get him in July
Me too Poe, don't mess with success, Diaz gets knocked off the puck like a butterfly, play the young hungry guys
I guess when you get down to it, I would agree with you: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. All I am saying is that Diaz brings something to the table.
Poor play and hes ha d a rough time, played thru Injuries, I wouldn't give up him after all hes done for us, plus hes a thousand times better Boil.
http://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2016/4/17/11441760/rangers-must-save-dan-girardis-legacy But what's also being missed here is that Rangers fans are begging for a mercy killing. Nobody is "turning" on Girardi in a personal way. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Girardi HAS meant quite a lot to this franchise, and that in itself is a good reason to pull the plug. Michael Strahan is viewed in nothing but a positive light by Giants fans because he left on a high note. In contrast, Brett Favre's legacy in Green Bay is tainted by his blocking of Aaron Rodgers and then playing for Green Bay's rival in Minnesota until his body fell apart. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Dan Girardi's legacy is defined by the many great years of service that Leonard cited, but it's also going to be defined by what happens going forward. It's almost certainly downhill from here for Girardi. Continuing to put him in situations to fail isn't honoring his tenure with the Rangers, but instead will only diminish it. Girardi should be out of the lineup during the playoffs and parted with in the offseason because it's in the best interest of the team, but also for the sake of preserving Girardi's legacy. I want to remember Dan Girardi as the undrafted player who started in the ECHL and willed his way to the NHL. I want to remember him as the purely defensive defenseman that amazingly scored 10 goals in his first full season. I want to remember him as the defenseman who reached a level in 2011-2012 nobody thought possible, playing his way into the All-Star Game and succeeding in ugly minutes for a Rangers team that topped the East and made it to the Eastern Conference Final. I want to remember him teaming up with his son, Landon, as stars in HBO's 24/7. I want to remember him for stepping up to the plate and getting the best of Scott Hartnell. I want to remember him as the player that somehow missed just two games in the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career despite getting bludgeoned with pucks and sticks and bodies more anyone in the league. I don't want to remember Dan Girardi as the biggest reason Henrik Lundqvist's final seasons were wasted. I don't want to remember him as the reason Keith Yandle couldn't be re-signed. I don't want to remember him as the reason Dylan McIlrath was unable to get a legitimate chance to develop a legacy of his own. I don't want to endure multiple years of him humiliating himself as his broken body lets him down and he feels the burden of not living up to his contract and holding the team back. The longer the Rangers let this drag on, the more his legacy will be clouded with ways his presence hurt the team. There's a prevalent straw man argument that people "hate" Girardi and want to see him fail. It's not true at all. It's devastating watching Girardi struggle on the ice, turning the puck over and getting burned down the wing. I hate it. There's no joy in watching a quality person and long-serving player hurting the team and struggling to be what he once was. I don't want to watch it happen anymore. Girardi's tenure with the Rangers has been mostly a good one. Reducing his role now and parting ways this summer would not indicate ungratefulness for what Girardi has done for this team, but rather would serve as an act of preserving that legacy.
If the expansion draft was one year earlier, is there any doubt that Girardi would be unprotected by the Rangers?
Yes, big doubt, because the Rangers won't be allowed to not protect him. Rangers are screwed on Nash, Girardi, Staal (and not Boyle thank god) because they have no-trades in their contracts and the league is forcing teams to use a protection spot for each
