McDonagh as 1st pair RD

[LittleKev6D9]

If Girardi leaves at the end of the season, then it's up for discussion. As of right now McD, our best defender, should play the side he feels best on.

 

[SupersonicMonkey*]

I was more impressed with McDonagh-Shattenkirk as a pair in the first game of the tournament than i was with Suter-McDonagh.

Suter and McDonagh should have been kept on separate pairs.

Complete and utter let down this tournament was. "Bobby Ryan doesn't have hustle in his vocabulary" or whatever bull **** Burk spewed. Burke and the rest of them should be canned. The fact Brooks Orpik was allowed to skate in a US jersey is a joke.

Pat Kane trying to do everything himself may work fine in Chicago where they may love to beat up cab drivers for nickels, but it doesn't work against a stacked Canadian roster.

 

[ltsthinaz]

Why is everyone so anxious not to resign Girardi? I have no problem trading Callahan, but I'd resign Girardi. Sounds like he's being very reasonable in his request as well. Then you have a 1st pairing that shuts down the oppositions top line and plays 25 minutes a game. Which also makes it a whole lot less important who your 6th defenseman is.

 

[haveandare]

I'd prefer to keep G and not even have to think about this, but if Girardi goes and there's not a suitable replacement, it's nice to know that Staal - McD is possible. That's a legitimate shutdown pairing.

 

[Boruto]

Ya, if we could leave our elite defenseman alone to his natural side,


That's be great.

 

[tbonenc*]

I was trying to do my best to assess the US defensive play as objectively as possible. I thought Shattenkirk played well. Suter was fine, but didn't live up to the hype that surrounds him. Orpik did not belong on the ice with these elite players. McTruck was the US's best defensemen, despite Bylsma playing him on the wrong side and changing his pairing.
What was sad was how so many on this board jumped on him when he made a bad decision in today's game. They used one play, which, if Backes had done his job, would have been inconsequential.
Ranger fans can sit back and relax because we have a top three defenseman in the NHL and will be for the next five + years.

 

[darko]

If Girardi leaves at the end of the season, then it's up for discussion. As of right now McD, our best defender, should play the side he feels best on.

Agree.

 

[TGWL]

I say we just have opposite day on defense and see what sticks. In fact, lets scramble our forwards as well...

McDonagh played lights out better than any D-man on USA. I was actually wondering how many people jumped him a few spots on their top defensemen list.

 

[Samuel Culper III]

I don't know if McD on the right is the answer but it's certainly an option. I'll tell you this though; opinions of McDonagh just went up around the world. Fans who don't watch us but watched the Olympics just learned that all the talk about McD is true. Honestly, he very well may have been, quietly, steadily, just by always making the right play, being so poised, so mobile and so damn good defensively, the best OVERALL skater on team USA. The kid is honestly just the biggest stud on defense there is.

 

[doorman]

I say we just have opposite day on defense and see what sticks. In fact, lets scramble our forwards as well...

McDonagh played lights out better than any D-man on USA. I was actually wondering how many people jumped him a few spots on their top defensemen list.

Do you guys send Christmas Cards to Gomez and Gainey for the gift of McDonagh? He played amazing at the Olympics and you guys between him a Staal have a great high end pair of Dmen there