A coach doesn't rip his own player in print and some here go crazy over it.
I think you're looking at this the wrong way. Fans are upset because these comments allude to AV wanting Girardi back in the lineup. At this point, should we have faith in AV to do the right thing? I know I don't. He played Girardi in game 1 and he was the main reason we lost. We played him all season and he was absolutely atrocious in almost every single game.
People see blocked shots and think "warrior." You're right, the guy is a warrior. NO one questions that. What I do question is a guy who is blocking so many shots because he's ALWAYS pinned in his own end. I question a guy who's main defensive play is just to flick the puck out of the zone at all costs and it often ends up on the stick of a guy on the opposing team. I question a guy who has shown no offensive ability. I question a guy who seems to be unable to play at the top speed this game requires today. We've been waiting for two years for Girardi to get back to the level he used to play at and it's just not there.
AV can say he's being unfairly criticized, but what I see is a coach being fairly criticized. It's not Girardi's fault he's being put in a position that is far above his current abilities, it's AV's.
McIlrath is a better player than Girardi. Skjei is miles better than him. Both players have significant upside and will continue to improve the more they play and the more comfortable they get. This is not only good for those players, it's good for us. We need these young, cheap, cost controlled assets to become big parts of our team.
A guy who is now on the wrong side of 30 almost never returns back to the form that made him a good player. It just doesn't happen. Even more so if we are talking about a player with the miles that Girardi has on him. Unfortunately, a very good Ranger is done, and we are seeing a sad end in front of our eyes.
People are pissed at AV because he doesn't seem to comprehend what's best for the team. He's proven time and time again that he sucks at adjusting and it very well may lead to an early exit this season if he reverts back to using Girardi again. I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste one of the few times in our history that we've had a team that can contend for the cup, and the best goalie in hockey who has very few elite years left on dressing players because they've been good Rangers.