John Gove: Strictly Opinion: Simply a Bad Signing

What young RHD spot is Girardi taking up?

This deal brings little to no risk. I would agree is he was making $5M+, but he's not. This doesn't bring with it salary cap implications and given that the young D truly pushing for spots right now are LHD in Sergachev and KK his presence in no way impedes those 2 from being able to make the team. Girardi will push Sustr and on this team will either find himself on a lower pair than he was with the Rags OR could be carried by Hedman. Sustr was not able to play with Hedman and this D is still best if Stralman and Heds are separated so it leaves Dotchin and Girardi for Hedman's shoulders.

So, I have to ask. What cheap RHD should we have signed instead of Girardi? If we don't bring one in Sustr is absolutely in every night. I know Franson is an analytics darling but nobody equates that he wasn't breaking into Buffalo's putrid top 4 nor do they account for the fact he still hasn't signed anywhere. So either the analytics are (frank)ed or there's something else behind the scenes, either way there is a reason (or many) he hasn't signed anywhere yet. So with a weak RHD FA list the options were limited to almost non-existent. Shattenkirk certainly was an option but it's fairly obvious given the deal he took he was going to the Rags. So by all means tell us how this team is better with Sustr in every night, less depth to push Sustr, and maintaining cap flexibility to make a trade down the line.

The hate for this signing is so thick it's ridiculous, yet the only argument anyone (frank)ing makes is that Girardi sucked playing too many minutes for the Rags and therefor it is certain he will suck for us. I know my opinion on this is unpopular, yet nobody, and I mean nobody, has laid out an alternative signing/plan (because there wasn't any other alternative but I digress). I guess it's more fun to just say Girardi sucks, and since it's so much fun everyone just keeps saying it.

^Alternative: not signing Girardi and pair Dotchin with Hedman. Dotchin was all right with him right? Girardi probably won't do better.

- Some Duck fans were actually hoping to sign him Ughhh - A big Thanks to you Steve Y. -

^Alternative: not signing Girardi and pair Dotchin with Hedman. Dotchin was all right with him right? Girardi probably won't do better.
- DutchSenators

And if Dotchin gets hurt? Takes a step back in 2nd year? If either of those happen we are left with Sustr or Stralman next to Heds, neither of which is ideal.

This is exactly the point. Girardi is cheap depth in a market otherwise close to devoid of options outside of trade.

Great signing. Guys go down with injuries every night, especially in playoffs. Defensively,a declining Girardi is still better than Sustre and Slowturn.

Thanks for the post John! Agreed Girardi sucks, I'm sure there was something better out there. Hopefully he isn't worse than Sustr. At the very least he brings a good voice to the locker room given the possible youth on the roster.

Thanks for the post John! Agreed Girardi sucks, I'm sure there was something better out there. Hopefully he isn't worse than Sustr. At the very least he brings a good voice to the locker room given the possible youth on the roster.
- BoltsFan1993

I wouldn't say flat out he sucks, still brings a gritty 110% effort every night, he really battled injuries the past 3 years but actually looked better this yr than the previous 2.

What young RHD spot is Girardi taking up?

This deal brings little to no risk. I would agree is he was making $5M+, but he's not. This doesn't bring with it salary cap implications and given that the young D truly pushing for spots right now are LHD in Sergachev and KK his presence in no way impedes those 2 from being able to make the team. Girardi will push Sustr and on this team will either find himself on a lower pair than he was with the Rags OR could be carried by Hedman. Sustr was not able to play with Hedman and this D is still best if Stralman and Heds are separated so it leaves Dotchin and Girardi for Hedman's shoulders.

So, I have to ask. What cheap RHD should we have signed instead of Girardi? If we don't bring one in Sustr is absolutely in every night. I know Franson is an analytics darling but nobody equates that he wasn't breaking into Buffalo's putrid top 4 nor do they account for the fact he still hasn't signed anywhere. So either the analytics are (frank)ed or there's something else behind the scenes, either way there is a reason (or many) he hasn't signed anywhere yet. So with a weak RHD FA list the options were limited to almost non-existent. Shattenkirk certainly was an option but it's fairly obvious given the deal he took he was going to the Rags. So by all means tell us how this team is better with Sustr in every night, less depth to push Sustr, and maintaining cap flexibility to make a trade down the line.

The hate for this signing is so thick it's ridiculous, yet the only argument anyone (frank)ing makes is that Girardi sucked playing too many minutes for the Rags and therefor it is certain he will suck for us. I know my opinion on this is unpopular, yet nobody, and I mean nobody, has laid out an alternative signing/plan (because there wasn't any other alternative but I digress). I guess it's more fun to just say Girardi sucks, and since it's so much fun everyone just keeps saying it.
- uf1910

I really think DG is gonna surprise you guys & play well, he's 33, not 39, he's battled tough injuries for a couple years now but even when he's hurt he is a total team player & was great in the lockeroom for the Rangers, he'll def be a quiet leader to the young guys in the room.

The reason why so many hate the move is they're relying too much on the noise coming from the analytics and how many NHL "analysts" analyze a player from afar using analytics. The analytics are simply not that good.

Girardi, unless he is carried by his linemates, will not have great puck possession numbers. So if one is going to judge him by those standards, accept that he won't have a "good" year right now, and that pundits will continue to harp in him. In the big picture, that will be irrelevant.

There are different kinds of players in the NHL. Those that help you win and those that just help you not to lose. Girardi falls into the latter category. I guess some players can fall somewhere into the middle.
The best way to defend is simply not to spend time defending. Try to have the puck more than the other team does. Generating shots is the best way to have those good Corsi numbers. Girardi is not going to do that. He's a defender. So if we look at puck possession, the best team has the puck what, 55% of time? So they still have to defend 45% of the time (shot wise). NHL teams still have to spend a lot of time defending in their own end, and on the PK.
Most teams don't have a defense full of defenseman who can drive play and generate offense. Most have a blend of players. Coaches tend to trust experienced veteran players more than younger players with the heavy lifting and in the tougher defensive situations. Teams also know that it's not good to expose young defenseman to too much of that situation unless they're really good out of the gate.
Having a player like Girardi who can defend well, and can take on a lot of the tougher situations icetime role also frees up other players to be put into situations where they can better take advantage of their skills. For many seasons on Chicago, Hjamarlsson took a lot of the heavy lifting which freed up Duncan Keith to play in more offensive situations. So if that is indeed how Girardi is going to be used, then he is not going to have pretty numbers in a lot of the metrics.

I'll end with how this signing should be judged in the future. Not by Girardi's individual numbers but by how the team does. Yzerman is not looking to have a bunch of players with pretty numbers across the board, he's looking to win hockey games and if adding Girardi helps them do that by playing effectively in a role, then Yzerman and Girardi have done their job when it comes to this signing.



TB fans should keep an open mind and see what happens, and how it works out before condemning this move.

The reason why so many hate the move is they're relying too much on the noise coming from the analytics and how many NHL "analysts" analyze a player from afar using analytics. The analytics are simply not that good.

Girardi, unless he is carried by his linemates, will not have great puck possession numbers. So if one is going to judge him by those standards, accept that he won't have a "good" year right now, and that pundits will continue to harp in him. In the big picture, that will be irrelevant.

There are different kinds of players in the NHL. Those that help you win and those that just help you not to lose. Girardi falls into the latter category. I guess some players can fall somewhere into the middle.
The best way to defend is simply not to spend time defending. Try to have the puck more than the other team does. Generating shots is the best way to have those good Corsi numbers. Girardi is not going to do that. He's a defender. So if we look at puck possession, the best team has the puck what, 55% of time? So they still have to defend 45% of the time (shot wise). NHL teams still have to spend a lot of time defending in their own end, and on the PK.
Most teams don't have a defense full of defenseman who can drive play and generate offense. Most have a blend of players. Coaches tend to trust experienced veteran players more than younger players with the heavy lifting and in the tougher defensive situations. Teams also know that it's not good to expose young defenseman to too much of that situation unless they're really good out of the gate.
Having a player like Girardi who can defend well, and can take on a lot of the tougher situations icetime role also frees up other players to be put into situations where they can better take advantage of their skills. For many seasons on Chicago, Hjamarlsson took a lot of the heavy lifting which freed up Duncan Keith to play in more offensive situations. So if that is indeed how Girardi is going to be used, then he is not going to have pretty numbers in a lot of the metrics.

I'll end with how this signing should be judged in the future. Not by Girardi's individual numbers but by how the team does. Yzerman is not looking to have a bunch of players with pretty numbers across the board, he's looking to win hockey games and if adding Girardi helps them do that by playing effectively in a role, then Yzerman and Girardi have done their job when it comes to this signing.



TB fans should keep an open mind and see what happens, and how it works out before condemning this move.
- MJL

The problem is not being able to get the puck out of the zone isnt defending. Its not good. To defend successfully you need to recover the puck and get it out otherwise your just getting worn out until the other team eventually scores. Cant win games like that. And thats what Girardi does and thats why the fans hate this signing. If it was 1 year 1 mill to give him a shot to rebound maybe. But he got too much term and money to even bench. He was one of the worst devensive d men in hockey last year because he spends all his time in his own zone. There is no way to spin that as a positive.

The problem is not being able to get the puck out of the zone isnt defending. Its not good. To defend successfully you need to recover the puck and get it out otherwise your just getting worn out until the other team eventually scores. Cant win games like that. And thats what Girardi does and thats why the fans hate this signing. If it was 1 year 1 mill to give him a shot to rebound maybe. But he got too much term and money to even bench. He was one of the worst devensive d men in hockey last year because he spends all his time in his own zone. There is no way to spin that as a positive.
- jbs32

At 5 on 5, there will be 4 other players on the ice with Girardi. Girardi certainly has weaknesses to his game but he also has the ability to play a role at this point in his career. 2 years and 3M today is nothing. No player is out on the ice alone. It's a team game. Give it a chance.

The problem is not being able to get the puck out of the zone isnt defending. Its not good. To defend successfully you need to recover the puck and get it out otherwise your just getting worn out until the other team eventually scores. Cant win games like that. And thats what Girardi does and thats why the fans hate this signing. If it was 1 year 1 mill to give him a shot to rebound maybe. But he got too much term and money to even bench. He was one of the worst devensive d men in hockey last year because he spends all his time in his own zone. There is no way to spin that as a positive.
- jbs32

lol wut

Tyler Johnson, another bad signing

Bolts sign Johnson 7 years 5 aav

Tyler Johnson, another bad signing
- Kucherovski

Why?

Why?
- tpd11

He is replaceable and we could use that money in other places. In the next 2-3 years Kucherov, Stralman and Vasey will need raises, some could be substantial.