Relatively speaking of course, he was fine. Who knows... the change of scenery (and way better weather) might rejuvenate him a bit
Bolts fan question re Girardi
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Relatively speaking of course, he was fine. Who knows... the change of scenery (and way better weather) might rejuvenate him a bit
Machinehead
Fox Mafia Consigliere
He hit Pacioretty once early in game 1 and that was it - everyone just decided he had a good series based on 4 seconds of play.
Meanwhile Pacioretty went on to have like 90 shots on goal over the next 6 games.
Vinny DeAngelo
Jimmy Easy to defend
Think Callahan that plays defense.
He wont skate the puck out of the zone.
Most of the miss his passes out of the zone if he takes them, he like to just bang the puck out off the boards.
He will ice the puck a lot. An annoying amount of times.
But put this main on your PK and he'll stand infront of Ovechkin onetimers until he's in bits and pieces. Really a heart and sole kinda guy.
He wont skate the puck out of the zone.
Most of the miss his passes out of the zone if he takes them, he like to just bang the puck out off the boards.
He will ice the puck a lot. An annoying amount of times.
But put this main on your PK and he'll stand infront of Ovechkin onetimers until he's in bits and pieces. Really a heart and sole kinda guy.
Ail
Based and Rangerspilled.
Do not listen to anyone here giving him any possibility to be good in Tampa. Be thankful he is only signed for two years and not 4 or 5. With how good and fast teams 3rd and 4th lines are now, it doesn't matter how many minutes or what pairing, inevitably he is going to end up on the ice against players who will outclass him. If he is worth even a small portion of that contract on the ice, I will be shocked.
NYR Sting
Heart and Soul
Great comparison
In extremely sheltered third pairing minutes, Girardi probably won't be that bad, and I'm sure he's a positive influence in the locker room. But if they have any designs of giving him more than the most limited responsibilities, that would be foolish. He's immobile, he brings literally nothing offensively, and he probably should hang them up.
Here's the deal with Girardi...he's rarely outright terrible when you watch him (he doesn't make a ton of egregious mistakes) and you can say "oh he's good defending without the puck)
But he gets a bad rap because he's very poor at moving the puck. He has terrible analytics because he's so bad at moving the puck in his own end once he gets it (and has trouble regaining the puck) so he spends a LOT of time in his own end.
He doesn't contribute much offensively either so it doesn't offset that
I know he says 'oh my ankle bothered me last year but I'll be healthy and ready to go this year' but last year it was his knee, etc etc...he's at the point where he's getting injured a lot but will play through it to the detriment to his game.
He'll block a lot of shots
He won't look terrible but his analytics will be terrible and he'll spend a lot of time in his own end.
Oh, other thing he can be useful for is being the guy to retrieve a dumped in puck and take the punishment while moving it to his partner
But he gets a bad rap because he's very poor at moving the puck. He has terrible analytics because he's so bad at moving the puck in his own end once he gets it (and has trouble regaining the puck) so he spends a LOT of time in his own end.
He doesn't contribute much offensively either so it doesn't offset that
I know he says 'oh my ankle bothered me last year but I'll be healthy and ready to go this year' but last year it was his knee, etc etc...he's at the point where he's getting injured a lot but will play through it to the detriment to his game.
He'll block a lot of shots
He won't look terrible but his analytics will be terrible and he'll spend a lot of time in his own end.
Oh, other thing he can be useful for is being the guy to retrieve a dumped in puck and take the punishment while moving it to his partner
we want cup
Registered User
In a a zone defensive system where forwards come back deep to make themselves available for outlet passes (as our team had from 2005-2013) I think he could be adequate in a 3rd pair pk specialist role.
RangerLifer
Formerly known as Captain Lindy
RangerLifer
Formerly known as Captain Lindy
Both pairs of bolded statements heavily contradict each other. "He's not terrible when you watch him and doesn't make a lot of egregious mistakes, except when he tries to do anything hockey related" and "He's useful for retrieving the puck, but has a negative idea of what to do with it since he's abysmal in his own zone." Can't pass to his own teammates very well, can't clear the puck very well, can't defend very well, can't provide any offense at all, can't do anything very well. But he's a #warrior who will "block" (read: deflect) a bunch of shots right past your own goalie.
Let me preface my response by stating the following:
Do you even know how to evaluate defensemen bro? Do ya?
Do ya even lift?
Onto a serious response:
He's limited in his mobility, and has match-up issues versus speedsters that can take him wide. 4-way lateral agility is not there. Which is his biggest fault when defending off the rush and counter transitioning.
He is however a fit in the right system. If you run a zone d, and use him as your no 1 PK option, he's a great fit.
But he's a liability versus guys like Gaudreau, EKane, and Athanasiou.
His other downside is mileage. He's played a hard game for a very long time, so he's injury prone and always plays with injuries. That's when there is a noticeable drop off in his game.
Last year he had some time off, and played much better.
But realistically, you limit his 5v5 minutes against your 3rd & 4th line guys, and have him be the top PK option against top 6 players and you've got a very serviceable player.
His defensive acumen is very good, excellent positionally, and star players used to hate playing him. Not the case any more but he's a good character guy that is now a situational player.
Do you even know how to evaluate defensemen bro? Do ya?
Do ya even lift?
Onto a serious response:
He's limited in his mobility, and has match-up issues versus speedsters that can take him wide. 4-way lateral agility is not there. Which is his biggest fault when defending off the rush and counter transitioning.
He is however a fit in the right system. If you run a zone d, and use him as your no 1 PK option, he's a great fit.
But he's a liability versus guys like Gaudreau, EKane, and Athanasiou.
His other downside is mileage. He's played a hard game for a very long time, so he's injury prone and always plays with injuries. That's when there is a noticeable drop off in his game.
Last year he had some time off, and played much better.
But realistically, you limit his 5v5 minutes against your 3rd & 4th line guys, and have him be the top PK option against top 6 players and you've got a very serviceable player.
His defensive acumen is very good, excellent positionally, and star players used to hate playing him. Not the case any more but he's a good character guy that is now a situational player.
He wins board battles, but stuggles to skate it out, or pass it out against a fast forecheck.
I don't think it's a contradiction if you get past the binary thought structure.
No they don't
I'm talking about he's usually not horribly out of position, getting walked all the time, or passes the puck right to an opposing teammate (though you can find video of him doing that, it's just something that happens to any D on occasion). He's not a guy you watch and go "wow he just can't play defense at all", and his shot blocking positioning is good for whatever that's worth.
By "he can't move the puck" I mean he will just slap it around the boards. He's not good at breaking the puck out or making passes to his teammates, he just does a whole lot of "get the puck out of trouble", which is why I say his puck skills are bad.
There are guys you watch and go "wow they're just terrible at everything" and that's not quite Girardi, but his overall body of work isn't good
KingDeathMetal
Registered User
He's not built for the modern game. The best thing he brings to the table is penalty killing, because the PK rewards players who remain stationary and block shots since you're pinned in your zone anyway.
That's what Girardi does - parks in front of the net and plays human shield. The only other positive about him is that he has a very hard shot. When he has the chance and is willing to shoot, it can actually be fairly dangerous. He'll give you 4-5 goals but they'll all mean something because he has a tendency to score in big moments, when he does score. Example: 3 of his 4 goals were game winners last season. Of his 10 goals the past 3 seasons, 5 were game winners. 6 playoff goals for his career, 3 won the game. Take it for what it's worth.
Another positive: Girardi is an extremely physical player, can really wear on the opposition in those tough, grinding games. Example: the first round series against Montreal this Spring. Girardi wasn't terrible, and helped mitigate the goon-it-up style Montreal tried imposing. Was a big reason we won the physical battles. That stuff matters, though IMO it's not worth the price of admission with Girardi, because his defense can be aptly summarized as "human traffic cone".
Keep him on the third pair, shelter him against weaker competition, give him mostly offensive zone starts, and play him only 60-70 games. 16 mins per night. If he does that and stays injury free, you won't mind his negatives as much, and he will be a big time positive in the locker room, that's for sure.
But if Cooper does as Stevie Wonder talked about, which was playing him big minutes on any pairing, possibly the first with Hedman, then UH OH. Your boy Vic is gonna be in for his worst season since his rookie year. Just ask McDonagh.
Overall, this was a terrible signing. And I say that as someone who loves and appreciates what Girardi did for this organization for many years. The game passed him by.
That's what Girardi does - parks in front of the net and plays human shield. The only other positive about him is that he has a very hard shot. When he has the chance and is willing to shoot, it can actually be fairly dangerous. He'll give you 4-5 goals but they'll all mean something because he has a tendency to score in big moments, when he does score. Example: 3 of his 4 goals were game winners last season. Of his 10 goals the past 3 seasons, 5 were game winners. 6 playoff goals for his career, 3 won the game. Take it for what it's worth.
Another positive: Girardi is an extremely physical player, can really wear on the opposition in those tough, grinding games. Example: the first round series against Montreal this Spring. Girardi wasn't terrible, and helped mitigate the goon-it-up style Montreal tried imposing. Was a big reason we won the physical battles. That stuff matters, though IMO it's not worth the price of admission with Girardi, because his defense can be aptly summarized as "human traffic cone".
Keep him on the third pair, shelter him against weaker competition, give him mostly offensive zone starts, and play him only 60-70 games. 16 mins per night. If he does that and stays injury free, you won't mind his negatives as much, and he will be a big time positive in the locker room, that's for sure.
But if Cooper does as Stevie Wonder talked about, which was playing him big minutes on any pairing, possibly the first with Hedman, then UH OH. Your boy Vic is gonna be in for his worst season since his rookie year. Just ask McDonagh.
Overall, this was a terrible signing. And I say that as someone who loves and appreciates what Girardi did for this organization for many years. The game passed him by.
GOAT AINEC
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- Jun 4, 2014
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Tawnos
A guy with a bass
JT Kreider
FIRE GORDIE CLARK
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh the more I think about it..... Girardi is just shot. Since his first full season in 2007-08 (10 seasons) he has played a full 82 game season five times. He missed one game in 2013-14, two games in 2010-11, played 46 of 48 games during the lockout year, and then the last two seasons he has played 63 and 74 games.
Add three deep playoff runs to Game 6 of the ECF, Game 7 of the ECF, and Game 5 of the SCF.
With the style he plays, and for the majority of his career playing in a grueling Torts system.. the body just isn't made to withstand that type of punishment.
He's just run into the ground at this point. I don't see what Yzerman is thinking here. These types of players don't have miraculous bounce back seasons at age 33.
Add three deep playoff runs to Game 6 of the ECF, Game 7 of the ECF, and Game 5 of the SCF.
With the style he plays, and for the majority of his career playing in a grueling Torts system.. the body just isn't made to withstand that type of punishment.
He's just run into the ground at this point. I don't see what Yzerman is thinking here. These types of players don't have miraculous bounce back seasons at age 33.
I mean he wont have to chase as much which helps with his limited mobility but doesn't help his puck moving which has really been the worst thing about him recently.
Yeah what gets me is that he's like "oh my ankle was hurt and bothered me all season but it's better now I'm ready to be back on my game as a top shutdown guy!" and then the season before that it was "well my knee was messed up and that hampered me all season but it's healed now and I'm healthy and ready for a bounce back year!"
I'd worry it's becoming a trend with him as his body takes more punishment and he's still blocking shots and breaking bones and trying to play through injuries.
New York RKY
Let's Go Rangers!
He's a bottom pair defenseman at this point that plays better against slower teams then quicker teams. He regularly gets walked by guys with speed.
WesMcCauley
Registered User
- Apr 24, 2015
- 8,616
- 2,601
No he really is one of the worst defensemen in the NHL... And i like Tampa and has followed them because of MSL and Stamkos etc so i want them to be good but i cant believe a team gave him more than 1-2 mill. I wouldnt want him on my team for minimum salary(650k or whatever it is). His impact on the ice is so negative that he just isnt worth playing, so many better options out there.
RangerFan10
Registered User
By what measure was he horrible? He was even top 5 in corsi rating for a good stretch on the team, was blocking shots like young Girardi, eating a lot of minutes.
JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK
Twenty f*ckin years
- Oct 8, 2010
- 80,089
- 17,744
Please, please let Hedman-Girardi be a thing.
Poor Hedman. Finna regret that extension.
GeorgeKaplan
Registered User
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