Player Discussion: Dan Girardi

[VoluntaryDom]

Low-key, he hasn't been as awful as I expected. He looks like a passable bottom pair dman and > Sustr. Hopefully this keeps up.

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[RDTBay4]

I think Girardi has been great for us so far. Really pleased with his and Kunitz signing.

Replacing Sustr with Girardi and JT Brown with Kunitz is a massive improvement.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I think Girardi has been great for us so far. Really pleased with his and Kunitz signing.

Replacing Sustr with Girardi and JT Brown with Kunitz is a massive improvement.

Yep spot on!

 

[Leonardo87]

No doubt. Been saying it since he got signed. Some of you made such a big ruckus over it , like it was the end of the world. He'll continue to play this way as long as he is not getting top pairing time and not playing over his head.

 

[Rschmitz]

Looks better than advertised.....

lol

Staying healthy is a concern, but I feel so comfortable with Girardi on the ice. He's smart and doesn't make bad decisions. He also gets the puck on the net. Perfect righty, so glad we signed him.

Love it

 

[Shoresy Snipes]

$3 Million per year good? (PLUS his buyout money; damn he has to go to bed smiling at night)

Not knocking the guy, he's been steady. Like others said, as long as he is just assigned to eat up minutes, like under 18-ish mins/gm, he's a reliable workhorse.

 

[The Macho King]

$3 Million per year good? (PLUS his buyout money; damn he has to go to bed smiling at night)

Not knocking the guy, he's been steady. Like others said, as long as he is just assigned to eat up minutes, like under 18-ish mins/gm, he's a reliable workhorse.

Who cares? We aren't tight against the cap and Sustr is in the press box.

 

[Rschmitz]

$3 Million per year good? (PLUS his buyout money; damn he has to go to bed smiling at night)

Not knocking the guy, he's been steady. Like others said, as long as he is just assigned to eat up minutes, like under 18-ish mins/gm, he's a reliable workhorse.

So far? Yes. Small sample size though

 

[DFC]

I think we're beyond the point of him just being "not awful." I know our expectations were low, but he's been a positive factor in our improved play. Small sample size, but so far this is another example of Steve Yzerman making some of us, myself included, look like fools.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I think we're beyond the point of him just being "not awful." I know our expectations were low, but he's been a positive factor in our improved play. Small sample size, but so far this is another example of Steve Yzerman making some of us, myself included, look like fools.

eh yeah. I expected a bottom of the barrel player but instead he looks like a more than passable #5. (besides, he only has to play as a 6)

 

[Volodya Krutov]

I was totally against that signing, but if he continues to be somehow a reliable bottom pairing defensive dman, I''ll eat crow with pleasure. Good job Dan.

 

[These Are The Days]

If he spends the entire year playing like this then I'll gladly keep him around for 2nd.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Nice seeing a thread like this.

I've been reading about his progress in this forum, and I know some other Ranger fans have been, also. We are looking more like a Dahlin contender than a playoff contender, so I'll be sure to root for you guys in the playoffs if we aren't there.

He just was never the problem that some Ranger fans claimed. They over-magnified the complaints to ridiculous degrees due to narratives they were trying to prove. And the complaints always tends to be louder with the bigger fan bases around the league. He was getting paid a lot of money for past performance and had a really tough role (1st pair defensive minutes for years against Crosby and Malkin), which is lesser in both cases with Tampa this season. Some of the complaints were valid that his game had declined some, but he just was never the liability some made him out to be, except for two years ago where he was playing on one leg through a broken knee cap. A player who to begin with struggles with mobility is going to especially struggle with a knee injury. He should've never been playing through that, but he did, which made it worse.

Last year he was relatively okay, which is why I told you guys not to be worried. As I'm sure you'll see if you watch any Rangers games, the Rangers miss the defensive presence he brought, along with the defense Stepan brought us. We completely sold out to the opposite approach and look awful defensively because of it. No one on our team can defend.

 

[Werewolf]

Nice seeing a thread like this.

I've been reading about his progress in this forum, and I know some other Ranger fans have been, also. We are looking more like a Dahlin contender than a playoff contender, so I'll be sure to root for you guys in the playoffs if we aren't there.

He just was never the problem that some Ranger fans claimed. They over-magnified the complaints to ridiculous degrees due to narratives they were trying to prove. And the complaints always tends to be louder with the bigger fan bases around the league. He was getting paid a lot of money for past performance and had a really tough role (1st pair defensive minutes for years against Crosby and Malkin), which is lesser in both cases with Tampa this season. Some of the complaints were valid that his game had declined some, but he just was never the liability some made him out to be, except for two years ago where he was playing on one leg through a broken knee cap. A player who to begin with struggles with mobility is going to especially struggle with a knee injury. He should've never been playing through that, but he did, which made it worse.

Last year he was relatively okay, which is why I told you guys not to be worried. As I'm sure you'll see if you watch any Rangers games, the Rangers miss the defensive presence he brought, along with the defense Stepan brought us. We completely sold out to the opposite approach and look awful defensively because of it. No one on our team can defend.

We have a large pitch fork crowd that follow their chicken little leaders ... I think its like that everywhere. We get a win we are "coming around" ... we get a loss and Cooper should be fired "told you so". I wrote a nice two or three paragraphs on Girardi when he has hired. Relating performance to Zone Starts, Face Off Winning %, and overall team possession. Girardi had the most Zone Starts in the defensive zone and the Rangers were bottom of the table in both possession metrics and face-offs. That plus injury concerns and the second / third pairing he would get here added to a positive outcome.

I did want to know how DeAngelo was doing. I saw earlier he made the roster and by the looks of it: 4 gp, no points, and -3 ... how is the eye test going for DeAngelo seems like a rough start for the kid. Haven't watched any Ranger games this season.

 

[waterboy65]

At first, I was puzzled in the signing of Girardi but then I thought that if Cooper elected to play DG instead of Sustr, it would be a good thing. So far, DG has exceeded my expectations and from what I have read from Ranger fans, it appears that being healthy is a key. Just as Callahan looks like a completely different player after overcoming injuries, DG does as well. DG being slotted in the PK and playing 3rd pair defensive line rotations should keep him around 14-16 mins of ice time and he just may end up being a great signing.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I did want to know how DeAngelo was doing. I saw earlier he made the roster and by the looks of it: 4 gp, no points, and -3 ... how is the eye test going for DeAngelo seems like a rough start for the kid. Haven't watched any Ranger games this season.

A little lost defensively, I think he's been good offensively, points will come, if he gets minutes, although thats not a guarantee. Of the 8 defensemen, 4 have already been scratched, so its defensive musical chairs. Only given is McDonagh plays 1LD, everything else is dependent on the coach's mood.

DeAngelo's biggest problem that I currently see is that he should be playing a role that currently goes to Shattenkirk. They aren't the same exact player, but similar enough that their usage collides, and Shattenkirk's always going to win that battle. I think he'll stick eventually, put up points, be a liability defensively, and in the end be a decent enough contributor, but this season I'm not sure he will have a defined role.

 

[haohmaru]

Nice seeing a thread like this.

I've been reading about his progress in this forum, and I know some other Ranger fans have been, also. We are looking more like a Dahlin contender than a playoff contender, so I'll be sure to root for you guys in the playoffs if we aren't there.

He just was never the problem that some Ranger fans claimed. They over-magnified the complaints to ridiculous degrees due to narratives they were trying to prove. And the complaints always tends to be louder with the bigger fan bases around the league. He was getting paid a lot of money for past performance and had a really tough role (1st pair defensive minutes for years against Crosby and Malkin), which is lesser in both cases with Tampa this season. Some of the complaints were valid that his game had declined some, but he just was never the liability some made him out to be, except for two years ago where he was playing on one leg through a broken knee cap. A player who to begin with struggles with mobility is going to especially struggle with a knee injury. He should've never been playing through that, but he did, which made it worse.

Last year he was relatively okay, which is why I told you guys not to be worried. As I'm sure you'll see if you watch any Rangers games, the Rangers miss the defensive presence he brought, along with the defense Stepan brought us. We completely sold out to the opposite approach and look awful defensively because of it. No one on our team can defend.

Agreed - and a view I shared here when he was first signed by TB. If his role is right, he's well worth the 3M for a massively experienced RD who leads by example every night. The NYR fan base finds a whipping boy every year and Dan probably least deserved it after his years of being a warrior and going out there every night no matter what was wrong with him. 5/6 role, PK, leadership, dependability, temporarily step up to 1/2 or 3/4 if injuries come = win for TB. Hope he has some great seasons for you guys.

 

[Glide5]

The thing that has impressed me so far with Girardi is how well he eats minutes. It seems like whenever I notice him on the ice it is because he had a big block or is annoying the opponent on the board. It isn't like when Sustr's out there and you are waiting for him to blow his assignment... which he eventually will.

Small sample size, but he's been really solid so far. I hope it continues because I like what he brings to the team.

 

[The Macho King]

He's miles better than Sustr. Sometimes he just chips it out instead of finding a stick to break out, but in his role he's doing exactly what we need of him. Just no more Sustr makes our D about 80 times better.

 

[bigd]

Ranger fans are trashing McDonagh now that Girardi is gone. Advanced state are not kind to Girardi but there are some things you just can't measure.

 

[Werewolf]

Yeah, saw on the trades forum that Rangers fans are out to trade and gauging value on McDonagh. The Rangers are a dumpster fire right now ... sad to see their window close.

 

[chasespace]

Hated the signing at first but he's been what he's been advertised as, a guy who is gonna block shots and disrupt the offensive tempo(when defending). A tad bit overpaid but he's keeping a worse player off the ice and hasn't costed us any games.

 

[FinnLightning26]

We'll be fine and he'll be fine if he keeps being that 3rd pair guy. You really don't notice him much in games and that's a good thing in his case. Both he and Kunitz look better than advertised because they're now playing in roles that suit them at this stage of their careers.

 

[2020 Cup Champions]

They're going to creep up the lineup.

 

[haohmaru]

Nice little article from a NYR PR guy about TB & Girardi: http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nhl/...up-new-york-rangers/piwak5pow5bm10yhg680pnt3m