You haven’t watched much if any playoff hockey…and it shows.

Good lord. Just. Stop.

I’m all for the entire D – core being reworked beyond the top pair truthfully. Not only do Girard & Manson have major pot marks for different reasons. But as a pair together they’ve never really gelled.

I don’t think Lindgren is coming back nor do I want him back at some inflated number. Thought he was as advertised. Slow, plodding horrible with the puck. And a fringe top 4 defenseman at best on a legitimate playoff team/contender.

I’m fine with Malinski on the 3rd pair. But the unit as a whole needs a face-lift. With 2C figured out. I honestly don’t care if they don’t add a single forward this off season. It should be all about defense for them.

When Girard signed his contract, his salary represented 6.1% of the salary cap. This year, it will represent 5.3%, and next season that percentage will be even lower. In my opinion, Girard is the type of player you could realistically re-sign at a reasonable price, and he’d fit well within the team’s long-term salary structure. As you mentioned, the point production hasn’t always been there (he plays very little on the power play), and his smaller size works against him when it comes to negotiating a new contract. On his next deal, the Avalanche might actually have a chance to lock him up at a very reasonable rate, somewhere around $5 million per year.

Meanwhile, Manson costs $4.5 million, is aging, and has only played in 53% of games over the past seven seasons. I think we may have just identified the real problem here.

He probably fears his message will go unnoticed unless it’s written in all caps. If Girard truly were a defensive liability, it would show on the ice and capital letters in a comment certainly wouldn’t be necessary to make the point.

Oh, of course, when a goal is allowed, logic dictates that we blame whoever happened to be closest to the mess, regardless of what they were actually doing. It’s part of the unwritten rule of scapegoating in defense: if you’ve got quick feet and a slightly less lumberjack-looking beard than the rest, you’re obviously at fault.
 
Because really, Lindgren pivoting the wrong way and getting burned by Rantanen like a traffic cone in a slalom course? Just a footnote. An insignificant little slip. It’s not like Rantanen was his responsibility in coverage. No no thank goodness Girard was nearby to gracefully shoulder the blame as always. He should probably start invoicing for “collective accountability bonuses” on his next paycheck.
 
After all, why bother reviewing plays in context when you can just say, “Eh, must’ve been Girard.” Streamlined analysis, high-efficiency judgment. We love to see it.

Go back and watch the Mikko goal where he falls behind the net and banks it off Girard’s skate for a goal. That’s all you need to know about Girard. A display of pure clumsiness and complete lack of spatial awareness.

Girard’s days are numbered as an Av, Yes, too many puck movers and Guluyeve and Berhens in the system will provide a cheaper alternative if they can make it to the NHL.