Hartnett: Criticism Of Rangers' Go-To D-Man Girardi Is Overblown

By Sean Hartnett
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After recently finding himself on the receiving end of criticism from head coach Alain Vigneault, Rangers alternate captain Dan Girardi responded in a big way.

On Sunday night, Girardi scored the game-winning goal in the Rangers' 4-1 home victory over the Calgary Flames. He recorded two shots on goal, blocked four shots and collected three hits in 19:54 of ice time. The goal was Girardi's 200th career point. He also skated in his 769th career regular season/playoff game, surpassing iconic captain Mark Messier for sole possession of 10th place in franchise history.

This came one night after the 31-year-old defenseman blocked a shot while the Philadelphia Flyers' power play was bearing down on the Rangers during a tie game with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The Rangers went on to claim a point from the wild shootout loss at Wells Fargo Center, a result that featured a Jarret Stoll goal controversially denied following a review from the situation room in Toronto.

Girardi has gotten off to a poor start this season, forcing Vigneault to tinker with his defensive pairings. Kevin Klein has been promoted to play alongside captain Ryan McDonagh and is doing an outstanding job of solidifying the top pairing, while Girardi has been paired mostly with Keith Yandle.

"Kevin was playing so much better than Danny that I made the switch," Vigneault said on Friday. "For some reason, Danny's overall game, especially with the puck, has not been as efficient as in the past. He's working at it, watching a lot of video to see where he can improve."

Going forward, Klein appears to be an ideal fit to remain as McDonagh's partner. While Girardi's skates will continue to slow with age, he is by no means chopped liver. This is an experienced defenseman who devours big minutes, neutralizes scoring chances and kills penalties with aplomb. You can easily dig up footage of Girardi making Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's lives miserable under the playoff spotlight.

Just 10 games into the young season season, criticism has been aimed at Girardi from all corners. TSN's Travis Yost recently penned a column stating that his face belongs on the "Mount Rushmore of Bad NHL Contracts."

According to advanced statistics website War On Ice, Girardi possesses the fourth-worst five-on-five on-ice Corsi differential in the league at minus-54. What this indicates is a bad start rather than anything to seriously worry about, Rangers fans. Girardi is sandwiched between Colorado Avalanche star duo Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. Meanwhile, Isles captain John Tavares is a minus-22 by this measure. Judging with the eye test over advanced stats, JT is on his way to contending for the Hart Trophy.

It's not stats be damned. Analytics certainly have their place in the game and are strong evaluation tools, but Girardi has been a mainstay of a Rangers team that has been at the forefront of Eastern Conference contenders since 2011. He deserves the kind of leeway to dig himself out of a hole.

Girardi's entire career has been built on going against the grain. Remember, this is a guy who went undrafted in 2003 and was able to mold his game into one that earned him an appearance at the 2012 All-Star Game and a six-year, $33 million extension from Glen Sather in February 2014.

Maybe the wear and tear close to 800 games played with fearlessness is beginning to take a toll on Girardi -- and perhaps Vigneault can monitor his health and give him a rest here and there to keep him fresh.

Girardi has never been a speed burner, nor has he ever been the strongest or most skilled player on the ice. For nine-plus seasons, however, he's been a reliable and important presence on the Blueshirts' blue line.

"I think you have to use what God gave you," Girardi told WFAN.com ahead of the new season. "Sometimes you have to rely on your smarts and be in the right places at the right time. I don't think I'm the fastest guy on the team by any means, but I feel I can get to the spot where I need to be and be physical. I think if you use your abilities to your advantage, you're going to have a long career."

Let's give Girardi credit for having the guile to stay ahead of the curve for the better part of a decade.

"It's been working for me so far," he said. "I've never been complacent. I've always tried to get better, figure out ways to get stronger and do different things during the season to stay healthy and stay strong. Every day is a learning day."

What it comes down to is Girardi is still a guy you want on your side in the most pressured playoff moments and that outweighs any advanced statistical measure.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey