Player Discussion Dan Girardi: Part V

[alkurtz]

The whole question of whether players with NMC and NTCs can be moved in the expansion draft is going to have to be negotiated with the players union....as it should be.

Otherwise, they cannot be moved.

And even if an agreement is reached allowing such movement, there is no guarantee that an expansion team will take him even if they have to acquire enough contracts to meet the salary cap floor.

Really, as history has shown in almost all sports, the worst thing an expansion team can do is pick aging veterans.

So, I would not get my hopes up about moving Girardi during an expansion draft. In years 4-6 when he can be traded to one of fifteen different teams, it becomes a different story.

Besides, I think the NHL will continue to kick the expansion can down the road until the Seattle arena situation is settled and who knows when that will be? Looks to me that the Coyotes may be relocated to Las Vegas next year and I doubt whether the NHL wants to add a single team (Quebec) and upset the balance between the conferences. When Seattle (or Portland) gets their act together, then we will see expansion.

So, Girardi is ours for another 1 1/2 at least. Frankly, I'm fine with that as long as if he plays reduced minutes. Come playoff time, his experience will be important.

 

[JerseyRangers*]

Dan's played a boat load better the past month than the beginning of the season - though that really isn't saying much, given how bad he was through 35 games. I have a gut feeling that he keeps this level of play up the rest of the way and becomes and asset for the team.

Yes he's played better. He certainly hasn't played like a top pairing d-man which is how he is being paid. Right now he's a solid 2nd pairing d-man. That's the best your going to get outta him.

Still praying he retires or the team buys him out after the season. In the salary cap era you cannot pay a average d-man $5.5 mill a year and expect to compete. Its not going to work.

Sather really screwed the pooch on this and the Staal signing. This is going to kill the team for years to come if we don't address it soon.

 

[Rangers in 7]

The whole question of whether players with NMC and NTCs can be moved in the expansion draft is going to have to be negotiated with the players union....as it should be.

Otherwise, they cannot be moved.

And even if an agreement is reached allowing such movement, there is no guarantee that an expansion team will take him even if they have to acquire enough contracts to meet the salary cap floor.

Really, as history has shown in almost all sports, the worst thing an expansion team can do is pick aging veterans.

So, I would not get my hopes up about moving Girardi during an expansion draft. In years 4-6 when he can be traded to one of fifteen different teams, it becomes a different story.

Besides, I think the NHL will continue to kick the expansion can down the road until the Seattle arena situation is settled and who knows when that will be? Looks to me that the Coyotes may be relocated to Las Vegas next year and I doubt whether the NHL wants to add a single team (Quebec) and upset the balance between the conferences. When Seattle (or Portland) gets their act together, then we will see expansion.

So, Girardi is ours for another 1 1/2 at least. Frankly, I'm fine with that as long as if he plays reduced minutes. Come playoff time, his experience will be important.

The conferences are already unbalanced. By adding two expansion teams which is their goal (the NHL) those two teams will have to take veterans. It's not like teams are going to leave ovi and Crosby available for selection. These teams will have to meet the cap floor which is why I could see both staal and girardi be taken

 

[eco's bones]

In an expansion most teams are going to have to expose several players. With 30 teams already and a 50 contract limit I don't see any teams losing more than two players and some teams only 1. Even if Girardi was exposed it doesn't mean he would get picked up.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Girardi's been our best defenseman the last few games. Since he returned from his injury, he's been good.

 

[TheTakedown]

Girardi's been our best defenseman the last few games. Since he returned from his injury, he's been good.

you've been saying this most of the year...

broken record much? At some point, nobody is going to listen to you.

 

[Mikos87]

Pierre MacGuire just reported that Girardi has been playing with an injury for the whole year.

If that's the case, just take some time off and heal. Good way to ruin a career.

 

[Don Jaroodi*]

Girardi's been our best defenseman the last few games. Since he returned from his injury, he's been good.

hitting the bottle already?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

hitting the bottle already?

No, he's been very good recently. Many of the usual critics have even been saying so.

I know some of the critics refuse to give any credit though, regardless of how he plays.

 

[Inferno]

Pierre MacGuire just reported that Girardi has been playing with an injury for the whole year.

If that's the case, just take some time off and heal. Good way to ruin a career.

yes, its been known for a while hes playing with a cracked knee cap.

 

[Irishguy42]

yes, its been known for a while hes playing with a cracked knee cap.

The stuff about the cracked knee cap didn't come out at the beginning of the year though. That was only relatively recent.

I imagine he's still hurt from w/e injury he had from the playoffs.

 

[Miamipuck]

No, he's been very good recently. Many of the usual critics have even been saying so.

I know some of the critics refuse to give any credit though, regardless of how he plays.

People would take you seriously if you admit, for whatever reason, he was total horsecrap the first 40-50 games. But you refuse to do that despite the preponderance of evidence to back up that claim.

He's been better the last few games, I can admit that.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Pierre MacGuire just reported that Girardi has been playing with an injury for the whole year.

If that's the case, just take some time off and heal. Good way to ruin a career.

If that is truly the case, why not sit him? I can somewhat understand playing him at the beginning of the season, before we knew what we had in McIlrath. But now? This is ridiculous. The man is playing with a cracked kneecap, another mystery injury, and has some of the worst stats in the league for a dman. I'm fine with the warrior crap and playing through injuries if they're not the kind of injury that's going to impact your play enough to make you a detriment, but that clearly isn't the case here.

This report, if true, makes me even more perplexed about the Girardi situation.

 

[TheTakedown]

If that is truly the case, why not sit him? I can somewhat understand playing him at the beginning of the season, before we knew what we had in McIlrath. But now? This is ridiculous. The man is playing with a cracked kneecap, another mystery injury, and has some of the worst stats in the league for a dman. I'm fine with the warrior crap and playing through injuries if they're not the kind of injury that's going to impact your play enough to make you a detriment, but that clearly isn't the case here.

This report, if true, makes me even more perplexed about the Girardi situation.

I've only been able to come up with a few legitimate reasons:

1) AV has that much of a hard on for Girardi playing that he wants him in the lineup, so Girardi heeds. The front office simply trusts the coach, so they let him toss Girardi into his normal role. This is most likely

2) The front office think Girardi is fine, though maybe AV disagrees with it, so they are forcing AV to play Girardi... This is very unlikely.

3) Management has decided that Girardi's time with the Rangers is coming to a close, and therefore they're trying to a) build his trade value, and b) Let him play out the year with dignity. This is absolutely possible, but tough to pinpoint

Given how flip-flopped AV's statements about Girardi have been, and how management hasn't said a single word indicates to me that the front office is silently working to move him this offseason. That's as far as I can tell at this point.

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

No, he's been very good recently. Many of the usual critics have even been saying so.

I know some of the critics refuse to give any credit though, regardless of how he plays.

Yeah, he's been good in the recent few games, but you can't ignore the absolute train wreck he was the first 40-45 games.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

How about instead of arguing over who is ignoring what, we just be positive and hope his play continues. Is it really that much to ask that this board be positive for once? I feel like a lot people just want to be negative for the sake of it and are getting what they deserve re: negativity. Let's just embrace some improved play and hope it continues for the sake of the team, our sanity, and the player (a guy who literally bleeds for this team).

 

[haveandare]

Everyone was good against Vancouver and Carolina. They're not good teams and they were playing poorly even by their standards.

I think it was made pretty clear yesterday that the team wasn't turning some corner, they just finally got two easy wins one after the other.

 

[Don Jaroodi*]

How about instead of arguing over who is ignoring what, we just be positive and hope his play continues. Is it really that much to ask that this board be positive for once? I feel like a lot people just want to be negative for the sake of it and are getting what they deserve re: negativity. Let's just embrace some improved play and hope it continues for the sake of the team, our sanity, and the player (a guy who literally bleeds for this team).

That's like entertaining someone's post why they are going to win Powerball.

 

[Inferno]

How about instead of arguing over who is ignoring what, we just be positive and hope his play continues. Is it really that much to ask that this board be positive for once? I feel like a lot people just want to be negative for the sake of it and are getting what they deserve re: negativity. Let's just embrace some improved play and hope it continues for the sake of the team, our sanity, and the player (a guy who literally bleeds for this team).

i honestly dont think hes playing better

 

[Raspewtin]

Everyone was good against Vancouver and Carolina. They're not good teams and they were playing poorly even by their standards.

I think it was made pretty clear yesterday that the team wasn't turning some corner, they just finally got two easy wins one after the other.

Not really true. Carolina are a pretty good team.

i honestly dont think hes playing better

Yeah, really. He had a great game against Vancouver and that's it.

This whole attitude (regarding all players, really) where after 2-3 games, the board unanimously declares THEY'RE BACK! and the haters have been unceremoniously silenced, is aggravating.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

It's much less aggravating than the constant *****ing and negativity. I guess some people would just prefer the doom and gloom. Can't imagine living life consistently negative, though. Neither Rasp nor Inferno fit that, but it should be obvious which people it applies to.

 

[haveandare]

Not really true. Carolina are a pretty good team.



Yeah, really. He had a great game against Vancouver and that's it.

This whole attitude (regarding all players, really) where after 2-3 games, the board unanimously declares THEY'RE BACK! and the haters have been unceremoniously silenced, is aggravating.

Eh, sort of. If our team had the Staals on those deals and in those positions they'd be like G and Staal are here. The team has some big issues. They're 20th overall and have more loses/overtime loses than wins. They have a promising future in some ways and a solid d corps but I wouldn't say they're a good team today.

Either way, they didn't have a good game against us IMO. We got two easy wins in a row.

 

[Inferno]

It's much less aggravating than the constant *****ing and negativity. I guess some people would just prefer the doom and gloom. Can't imagine living life consistently negative, though. Neither Rasp nor Inferno fit that, but it should be obvious which people it applies to.

yeah in general i tend to be a positive person. my issue here isnt the last few games..its...
1..the coaching decisions this coach has made the past 2 seasons now, playing inferior players more minutes, and superior players less minutes...basically the complete opposite of Torts who would ride his best playing players into the ground...

2)the horrible play since game 1 this season with zero accountability outside of benching Hayes (rightfully so)

 

[haveandare]

It's much less aggravating than the constant *****ing and negativity. I guess some people would just prefer the doom and gloom. Can't imagine living life consistently negative, though. Neither Rasp nor Inferno fit that, but it should be obvious which people it applies to.

They went to the finals, the game 7 of the ECF, then started out hot, now they're barely hanging on. Just got shutout by a pretty weak defensive team.

It's annoying to see constant negativity but it's hard to blame people for it IMO given the circumstances. Our worst performers have big deals with clauses, some key young guys are slumping. Miller, McI and sometimes Lindberg have been the treats so far and one of them doesn't play, another is in and out. There's not a ton to be positive about.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

They went to the finals, the game 7 of the ECF, then started out hot, now they're barely hanging on. Just got shutout by a pretty weak defensive team.

It's annoying to see constant negativity but it's hard to blame people for it IMO given the circumstances. Our worst performers have big deals with clauses, some key young guys are slumping. Miller, McI and sometimes Lindberg have been the treats so far and one of them doesn't play, another is in and out. There's not a ton to be positive about.

My main issue is that we couldn't even have fun here without the negativity during our two big runs. It's a board full of people who hate fun. Or at least now filled with people who hate it.

IMO, the minute you take a game too seriously and can no longer find yourself having fun, it's time to step back for a while. Think that a number could take that to heart.