IMO you're doing a bit of revising here. Before Staal's injuries he was regularly paired with Girardi. Girardi and McDonagh became the first pair after the first extensive period of Staal's being out of the lineup. Del Zotto has never been a first pairing defenseman on our team--he's been a second pairing but hasn't been able to hold onto that when all our D are healthy and hasn't deserved to be either.
There you go again distorting facts.
1 - DZ has been a top 4 on this team. He has averaged top 4 minutes last 3 seasons (Except this one where he is averaging top 5 minutes). Not only he deserved being top 4, but many nights he was the best Ranger D man on the ice.
2 - When Staal went down with his eye injury, Torts split up the Girardi-McDonagh pair and gave DZ top pairing minutes with Girardi. This is well publicized and basic googling skills can remind you if you forgot. Go back and look from about mid march to mid april of last season. So, you are wrong when you state that he has never been a top pair for the Rangers.
We also know this from the most common D pair from last season.
Defenseman -- Defenseman -- Frequency
DAN GIRARDI - RYAN MCDONAGH -- 23.74%
JOHN MOORE -- STEVE EMINGER --- 20.02%
DEL ZOTTO --- ANTON STRALMAN -- 18.63%
DEL ZOTTO --- DAN GIRARDI ------- 15.86%
STRALMAN ---- RYAN MCDONAGH -- 13.48%
DAN GIRARDI -- JOHN MOORE ------ 2.13%
RYAN MCDONAGH - STEVE EMINGER - 1.68%
Maybe this is not enough, how about we go ask the coach himself?
Tortorella on how Del Zotto has helped Rangers defense stay strong despite absence of Marc Staal, and how he challenges Del Zotto to stay at that level: “I think it’s a huge step for Michael – stay there now. This is where he’s fluctuated before, but now he’s gone through a bit of a process. He’s been more mature. I’m hoping he can handle that mentally, that ‘You know what? I’ve been there, I’ve been playing well, now I need to stay there.’ And he may even get better when you have an injury like we have with Marc.’
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ra...ralman-michael-del-zotto-chris-kreider-as-ny-
Since Marc Staal was injured on 3/5, Michael Del Zotto has not played fewer than 20 minutes and 51 seconds in a game.
Last night against Philly, Del Zotto played nearly 27 minutes and had two assists.
After the Rangers win last night, John Tortorella said on MSG that Del Zotto played “very well.”
Tortorella said earlier in the week that Del Zotto is putting himself into the position of leading the Rangers defense, “why can’t it be him to lead the way? He is not a young kid anymore, he has played quite a bit in the league. He is improving defensively and has made some really good plays to spring people.”
At Monday’s practice, John Tortorella said that Del Zotto was “terrific” against the Capitals and assuming and thriving in a much larger role without Marc Staal in the lineup.
The key, Tortorella says, is getting Del Zotto to play at a high level consistently.
http://snyrangersblog.com/2013-14/2...read-why-cant-michael-del-zotto-lead-the-way/
By the way, I am not saying that he was the best Dman all the time during that stretch, but some of the time. For instance the Girardi - McD was reunited on April 11th because DZ struggled the game before
John Tortorella reunited Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi on his top defensive pair Wednesday night, and the move served to stabilize the Rangers’ play in their own zone in a 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Garden.
“The last two games we haven’t defended the way we needed to,” Tortorella said Wednesday afternoon before the game. “Certainly around our net, in Carolina, that’s where it is. Our ‘D’ have moved away from our net when they don’t have to. So we need to straighten that out.”
Michael Del Zotto had played the previous six games alongside Girardi as Tortorella sought to balance his defensive pairs with Marc Staal out and Del Zotto playing at a high level. But Del Zotto was caught out of position several times in Monday’s 4-3 loss in Toronto, leading to the switch back Wednesday night to last year’s dynamic pair of McDonagh and Girardi.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ra...eunite-on-top-defensive-pairing-ny-rangers-to
Some people are happy with their main offensive D producing 35-40 point seasons
What's wrong with a 23 year old averaging 35-40 points a season? How many of those do the Rangers have?
DZ's had ample opportunity to prove he could and now it's McDonagh taking it away from him and the pwp improves. He's been marginalized within the Rangers defense structure. The Rangers pay Del Zotto to produce offense--not so much to defend. He's not producing--and you want to hold onto him and pay him more. DZ's point production since his rookie year went up marginally one year and has been down the other 3.
This one takes the cake, so the PP improved because McDonagh took DZs spot?
Having a new PP coach had nothing to do with it?
If you want to argue that DZ has not been consistently good during his tenure, I'd agree with you but you went a lot further than that without any facts to back you up.
DZ might as well be traded. But the way he has been railroaded by AV hurts the org. He has driven his value to the ground and you and some others seem to enjoy it.
I'd expect you to want what's best for the Rangers being a fan, but you are more interested in peddling non truths for whatever reason.
