I will say it, again, we absolutely need this kid to play big minutes in the playoffs. He is big, has a long reach, gets the puck to to the net, has good instincts, can skate very well (mind you, on a team built on team speed and skill) and, perhaps most importantly, plays hard and real nasty.
As a result, Girardi has to come out of the lineup when the playoffs come around - that is, unless the game get too big for Cernak as the seasons progresses (which does not seem likely at this point). I do not see any other options. Coburn has been tremendous this season, and he, too, fits the fabric of this team, as he can skate very well and often skates the puck through the neutral zone with ease. Sergachev QBs our PP2 and provides an offensive dynamic that we will need when goals are tough to come by.
All of this assumes our team enters the playoffs healthy. If so, in the end, Girardi is the odd man out. He remains a serviceable 5/6D on other clubs. He has a ton of experience, is positionally sound, is responsible, is a great locker room guy, blocks a ton of shots and, thus, is great on the penalty kill. But he continues to get slower. And the problem is only amplified by our roster, which is built on team speed. To me, I would rather have Cernak out there with the game on the line.