Girardi WITH Team

I have no internet, so I’m posting from my phone. Dan Girardi is with the team, and on the ice for the morning skate. The post below specifically stated “rumors” and never stated fact. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Girardi Not With Team

Rumors are abound that Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi will not be traveling with the Rangers to Ottawa to face the Senators tomorrow. It turns out that Corey Potter’s call up was not to replace an injured Michael Del Zotto, but to replace the soon to be dealt Girardi.

Although I have been calling for his trade, I never disliked Girardi. I just thought he had run his course with the team. Good luck wherever you wind up.

Are You Willing to Part With Dan Girardi?

The end of the Olympics is coming. The trade deadline is shortly thereafter. It seems clear that GM Glen Sather is going to be a buyer at the deadline, but to what extent remains a mystery. He surprised us all by swapping spare parts for a legitimate upgrade in Olli Jokinen before the Olympic roster freeze. This type of move seems to be Slats’ MO, swapping spare parts and players that have are not going to be a part of the future for upgrades for the current season.

That said, who do you think Slats is going to part with at the deadline? Other than the usual suspects on the wish list (Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival), who simply cannot be moved, the most notable name that I think the Rangers are willing to part with at the deadline is Dan Girardi, and I am perfectly OK with this. Now, before you jump down my throat for joining the trade Girardi bandwagon, you should know that I thought he was expendable in June of 2009, long before this “Trade Girardi” movement.

Girardi is in the third season of his young career, and although his GVT stands at 4.9, good for a top-10 place on this current Rangers squad, it is tough to overlook some glaring holes in his game. For example, he is big, but not physical. He is also slow on his feet, and constantly gets beat like he stole something. Yes, he is good with his positioning, but at his current price ($1.55 million cap hit), and a probable raise on the way, Girardi may price himself into a deadline or draft-day deal. With the defensive depth in the system, and the likes of Bobby Sanguinetti and Ilkka Heikkinen both NHL ready (and both combined make what Girardi makes), it appears that Girardi has run his course on Broadway.

Girardi will draw a good amount of interest around the league. He is young (25), and as mentioned before, has good positioning. Am I saying that the Rangers should dump Girardi for a 5th round pick? No. Hell no. I think a Girardi package has the potential to draw a top-six LW from teams. The loss will sting a little bit, but the trade return and the cheaper replacements on defense who have the potential to produce better results will make it more palatable.

Give Girardi a Break

Thursday night’s game was an utter embarrassment for the Rangers. They didn’t show up, they forgot how to plya hockey, and worst of all, they let Marian Gaborik take a beating from caveman Dan Carcillo. This topic has been beaten to death, but I didn’t have time to write something yesterday, so you all are going to have to deal with one more post on this.

Much was made over Dan Girardi’s lack of effort in standing up for Gaborik as he took a beating. Yes, the proper play was to take the third man in penalty, get a game misconduct, and protect Gaborik. But give the kid a break. Girardi did not want to put the Rangers down an additional man, and play the remainder of the game with just five defensemen, in a 1-0 game that has serious playoff implications. It was a split second decision.

The next time the Rangers face the Flyers is on March 14, a game that I will be attending. You can bet your house that the Rangers will not forget what happened on Tursday night. There will be retribution, and I guarantee you will see Donald Brashear in the lineup that night.

For now, the Rangers need to focus on their poor effort during the game. They just flat out did not show up. Tonight is another important game with playoff implications against Montreal, who have not forgotten the 6-2 drubbing last week (another game I attended). You can expect them to come out with a much different game plan, one that will counter the relentless forecheck that caused so many turnovers that game. Tonight’s game is a must win.

Swing and a Miss

Much like the Yankees swinging and missing last night, the Rangers lost the game to the Islanders on a similar swing and miss play, and it came in the second period. After a beautiful save by Henrik Lundqvist on the Islander powerplay, a rebound came to the front of the net. Dan Girardi, again playing terribly, swung at the puck in the air, missed, and Kyle Okposo buried the rebound. The proper play there Dan, is to get your body in front of the play and tie up Okposo.

This is not to say that Girardi should be singled out, as Wade Redden and Matt Gilroy fell asleep and let Matt Moulson behind them for the game’s first tally. There’s also the powerplay that looked lost without Marian Gaborik, and the offense in general, that struggled to find consistency without Gaborik.

Not all of it was negative though, rookie (sort of) P.A. Parenteau, called up to replace Gaborik in the lineup, netted his first goal of his NHL career, and was generally the best Ranger on the ice for the game. He has a nose for the net, and was essentially the only Ranger that was consistently charging the net and looking for loose pucks.

The need for a seventh defenseman is really intensifying. The six defensemen either look gassed or just comfortable. Neither is a good thing.

The Need for a Seventh Defensemen Intensifies

The Rangers need a seventh defensemen, and the last two games are definitive proof of this. In both games, players that we as fans have come to trust as defensive stalwarts have been playing shaky defense at best. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been fairly unspectacular this year, with the latter being downright terrible at points. We saw it last year with Girardi, as towards the end of the year, he has been prone to being beat to the puck. This year, teams are just attacking him and he has yet to adjust.

While Girardi has been consistently bad, Staal is prone to the epic turnover. He made a horrific turnover during the game against Anaheim, but Steve Valliquette bailed him out. He also made a pair of turnovers in the first period against the Devils last night, which eventually led to the Zach Parise goal in the first period.

As a matter of fact, the most consistent defensemen on the Rangers this year, in terms of defensive consistency, has been….wait for it….Wade Redden. That’s right Blueshirt Faithful, the most dependable defensman has been none other than the second (first?) of the albatross twins. He has been uncharacteristically solid in his own end, and conceding the offensive game to Michael Del Zotto. Sure, he isn’t paid to be just defensively solid, but I think we will take a non-liability.

On a team with two rookies (Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy), a downright terrible Michal Rozsival, and the stunningly consistent (but for how long?) Wade Redden, Staal and Girardi were expected to be anchors along the blue line and have been anything but that. Perhaps they have become too comfortable with their role on the team. Perhaps they are tired after an intense training camp. Perhaps teams have watched video and are exploiting their weaknesses.

No matter the case, a seventh defensemen will light a fire under the collective rear-ends of the defensive corps. If someone like Mathieu Dandenault, now with Hartford, winds up with the team, don’t you think that the current defensemen will have some pressure to perform? Competition is a very good thing, especially when someone is knocking on the door to play.

I would have preferred the Rangers go after Cory Murphy, but he was already assigned to the AHL. Instead, we have to count on Dandenault impressing in Hartford. Regardless of who it is (Corey Potter, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Michael Sauer are other possibilities that don’t have to pass through waivers), the Rangers need to apply the appropriate pressure to get the underachievers on their game.

A Look at the Defensive Pairings

With Michael Del Zotto officially making the team, I thought it would be interesting to look at defensive pairings. Who fits well with who? Let’s take a look:

1st pair: Staal-Rosival

Ideally, your first pair is your best. You have a good offensive defenseman, and a strong shutdown d-man. This combination gives the Rangers just that. Staal is the Rangers best defender. He has the potential to shut down one side of the ice. He’s an All-Star for years to come. Michal Rosival, however, has been struggling, and looked absolutely awful in the last preseason game against the Caps. But, that’s exactly why I put him with Staal. If he makes a mistake, he has Staal back there. Will this limit Staal’s offensive capabilities? A bit. But that’s what Gilroy and Del Zotto are for. This is not the best first pair in the NHL. No where close. But, it’s solid.

2nd pair: Gilroy-Girardi

I really debated where to put the rookies. I settled on Gilroy and Girardi for a couple reasons. One, Girardi, even with his preseason struggles, is a solid defensive defenseman. Gilroy, while solid in his own end, is a tremendous offensive player, who will look to lead and join the rush. He showed that during the preseason. This combination combines offensive and defensive players. In a defensive pair, you want a combination of both. This is a nice 2nd pair.

3rd pair: Redden-Del Zotto

Yes. Wade Redden as a third pair defenseman. It’s true. That’s where he belongs. I expect him to take a leap forward in his play this year–he really improved once Torts came along. He may not be the offensive player he once was, but he’s not awful as a defender. Del Zotto has shown great offensive instincts, as well as a good understanding of positional play. Having a veteran like Redden to learn from would be very beneficial to MDZ. If he gets sent back to juniors, I would put Semenov or whatever defenseman they sign off the scrap heap in this spot.

The Rangers defense core is solid. Not great. Solid. They have an emerging young star in Staal. Two really promising rookies in Gilroy and Del Zotto. Girardi, Rosival and Redden round out a solid group. I expect good things from all of them this year. What do you think of the defense core, and what are your ideal defensive pairings?

Is Dan Girardi Expendable?

In an earlier post about Larry Brooks wanting the Rangers to go after Gaborik, I mentioned that the Rangers may find that Dan Girardi has become expendable between now and the trade deadline next year. Obviously, Girardi is one of the top Ranger defenders, and should only be moved to fill a hole for the long term, and not a mercenary for the playoffs (see: Morris, Derek).

But why is Girardi expendable? Well, for starters, he isn’t Marc Staal, and both of them have contracts up at the end of next season. With the cap going down, and both in line for raises, it could become a sticky situation. Girardi has shown himself to be capable on both sides of the puck. Early last season, he was racking up the points, until Tom Renney switched up the defensive pairings and put him with Wade Redden, and then his production plummeted faster than the stock market in October. Ironically enough, both drops occured around the same time. Is the stock market tied to Dan Girardi’s production? I’ll crunch the numbers in a future post*.

(*-Not really)

The drop in point production could, and probably is, in direct correlation to the new pairing. After all, Redden is supposed to be jumping in on the play, and Girardi is going to have to cover for him when he does. But what alarmed me was how often Girardi got beat by a rushing attacker driving into the zone wide. Does this alone make him expendable? No, not at all. After all, skating and positioning can be fixed.

What makes him expendable, is that with teams in need of young, somewhat cheap defensemen, Girardi’s stock is as high as it is going to be. If the Rangers can package him for a Jiri Hudler, then I say jump on it as fast as you can. The fact that he is NHL ready boosts his trade value considerably, and with Gilroy presumably NHL-ready, Sanguinetti and Sauer playing well in Hartford, and Del Zotto on his way, the loss of Girardi won’t be that damaging to the future of the club. If anything, this defensive depth will help the Rangers in packaging him, maybe in hopes of dumping a contract, for an available, top flight scorer. Adding Girardi to a package containing Scott Gomez and his bloated salary definately makes a trade a little more palatable from the other team’s standpoint.

Image Credit: Zimbio Inc

Finals Thoughts and a Recap on a Season on the Brink

I allowed myself to decompress for 24-48 hours after the Rangers season officially ended to talk about what happened.  Much like a legendary player being asked to retire when he’s ousted from the playoffs, you have to sift through your emotions before you give an honest assessment of things.  100% agree with Dave that the better team won this series, but ironically, I thought the Rangers were the better team for the most part in Game 7.  The game itself was a microcosm of the the Blueshirts season and series:  strong to start, treading water in the middle, and plagued by an inability to score and create chances in the end.  This team truly gave their all in the final game though, and that makes the sting a bit more bearable.  Now that the smoke has cleared, it has become obvious to me (and hopefully all of you) that John Tortorella got the most out of a team that has seemingly zero offensive firepower, and the fact that he got them to claw all the way into the playoffs says a lot about the type of coach he can be for this franchise.

So now that the sting is starting to subside, lets take a look back on the highs and lows of this season, and what’s to come from the 89 games:

HIGHS

-The Blueshirts got off to a fantastic start, going 10-2-1 in the month of October and staking themselves to a huge early lead in the Eastern Conference

-Three players had their numbers retired: Harry Howell (3), Andy Bathgate (9), and Adam Graves (9)

-Tom Renney and his stale style of hockey were finally replaced by John Tortorella’s aggressive attack, making for a much more efficient and relatively exciting Rangers team to watch.

-The Rangers re-acquired Sean Avery off waivers from the Dallas Stars, adding the edge that the team needed down the stretch.

-Henrik Lundqvist gave no doubt to the fact that he is easily one of the top 3 goalies in the world today

-After falling out of the playoff picture in late February/early March, the Rangers made a remarkable turn around, headlined by John Tortorella’s coaching, to finish 7th in the Eastern Conference standings.  The team had several key wins down the stretch to jump into the playoffs.

-Nik Antropov and Derek Morris were acquired via trade at the deadline, and provided some size and stability to their respective positions.

-The combination of Blair Betts and Frederik Sjostrom (throw Hank in there if you’d like) emerged as the best penalty killing unit in the NHL.

-While maybe not necessarily a high, Markus Naslund provided exactly what was expected of him: a 20-25 goal season and consistency up front.

LOWS

-The start of 2009 brough no joy to the Rangers, as they started to collapse under the Tom Renney regime.  The low-point was highlighted by a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Stars, and ultimately would signify the end of the Renney era.

-The tragic death of top-tier prospect Alexei Cherapanov cast a shadow over the Rangers future.

-Nikolai Zherdev’s did not provide the 30+ goal output that many believed it would, and the youngster crumbled in his first post-season

-The offseason acquistion of Wade Redden was nothing but a complete disaster.

- Michael Roszival’s absurd contract extension (mainly its length) is beginning to rear its ugly head, and the combination of Redden and Roszival’s salaries and contract length will plague this franchise for years to come.

-The power-play never amounted to anything, under both coaches, and has been the most pressing issue since the lockout ended.

-An inability to provide consistent offense or any offensive threat whatsoever doomed this team as the season progressed

-Leading 3-1 in their opening round playoff series, the Blueshirts fell apart when it mattered most, a series headlined by the suspension of John Tortorella for Game 6

-Versus continues to cover the NHL

WHATS TO COME

-Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Lauri Korpikoski, Sean Avery, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi will be the core of this team under the John Tortorella regime.  The new coach must also find the right players for his style of play, as it became obvious that the current group cannot provide the type of play Tortorella would like to play.

-Blair Betts, Frederik Sjostrom, Colton Orr, and Nik Antropov MUST be re-signed.  Betts and Sjostrom combine to be the best PK tandem and 4th line in the league.  Orr is the best fighter in the NHL, and you still need at least one of them on your team.  Antropov provides much needed size and scoring touch going forward.

-Markus Naslund, with only one-year remaining, should be dealt somewhere.  The aging forward, once considered the best two-way player in the NHL, did not thrive in Tortorella’s system.

-Time for Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to finally step up and take the reigns as the elder statesmen on this team.  The honeymoon is over boys.

-Say goodbye to Paul Mara (regretably), Nik Zherdev, and Derek Morris.  In addition, Sather must find a way to part ways with either Redden or Roszival, either through a buy-out or trade.

-Its time for the Rangers projects and farm system to step-up and become elite players in the league.  This includes players currently on the team (who have now played in enough tight playoff series) and players in their farm system (who up until this point have done nothing but be talked about).  History shows that free-agent/trade acquisitions don’t do it for this team, and the home-grown talent must finally rise to the top.

-If they are going to keep him for the next 3 seasons, the organization must get on the league’s case about the officiating bias towards Sean Avery.  While he is no saint, the abuse this guy takes on a nightly basis is absolutely absurd.  Game 7 was just an example.  Generally speaking, the officiating around the league in general must change, as these ticky-tack calls are making even the most die-hard hockey fan’s head spin.

-While no fault falls on him, Henrik Lundqvist must find a way to be better than spectacular come playoff time.  I’m talking god-like, all the time.  If you want to know what I’m looking for, see Giguere for the Ducks and Khabibulin for the Lightning.

-The power-play can no longer be the Achilles heel of this team.  Either through someone currently on the team stepping up or by acquiring someone via free agency or trade that can FINALLY do it themselves, the Rangers must learn to capitalize on the opportunities provided.

-Whatever the makeup of this team comes to be, they have to find a way to be consistently good all season long.  The continuous ebb and flow of the Rangers the past few seasons has come back to haunt them in the playoffs, as the lack of home-ice advantage has made things very difficult.

Whew.  I’m sure there are plenty of things here that plenty of you agree/disagree with.  I’m pretty sure there are plenty of things that I missed and will think about later.  It was a crazy season for so many reasons, and to try to cover it all would take weeks and months.  I’d like to hear about what you all have to say about the Rangers season, and what you think should/shouldn’t happen as the organization moves forward.  Either way, this has been a very enjoyable experience, and I’m looking forward to adding thoughts and insight to a team I love so much.

They Just Got Tired

This wasn’t an all-of-a-sudden swing to the Caps. This was a very gradual tilt. The Rangers were great in the first period, outplayed the Caps, and everyone had one of the best periods I had seen from them all year. Zherdev had his best shift of 2009.

Then came the second period, another strong period for the Rangers, but you got the sense that the Caps were gaining momentum. They were starting to get better shots, beating the Rangers to loose pucks, and getting more room to be creative.

Then came the third period. Summarized with two words: One Shot.

They just got tired. They didn’t have the personnel to match up with Washington at the skater level. They needed to win the goalie matchup, and Simeon Varlamov was spectacular. You have to hand it to the just-turned-21-year-old. He was fantastic.

I’ll let Stas handle the Avery-bias, and the inconsistent officiating from the entire series. He will have a lot to say on that. I’m looking forward to reading that.

But, let me say this, the Rangers, on the last game of the season, played their hearts out. They just got tired. I applaud the Rangers for taking this series to seven games, when I thought they were going to be done in five.

Kudos to the Rangers for stealing three games. Kudos to the Henrik Lundqvist for being a God in net. Kudos to Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, who were the only two Ranger forwards to consistently play well and look like they cared. Another kudos to those two, who will be wearing the C and the A real soon. Kudos to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, who were solid all series.

This is why they play a seven game series. The better team will usually win. The Capitals are a better team.