Regarding the Rangers, about to embark on their first visit to Lotteryland in Toronto on Saturday:
1. Watching Dan Girardi play a safe, sane and effective game for the Lightning reinforces my belief that while the Rangers do require a coach who can teach and develop the mass of young inventory on its way to Broadway, they are equally in need of an individual who will introduce and oversee a sound defensive-zone structure.
This hybrid man-on-man, overload, chase system the Blueshirts employed under Alain Vigneault not only produced constant chaos most of the past three seasons, but also placed added stress on pretty much every one of the club’s defensemen.