Dan Girardi is a top pairing defender for the Tampa Bay Lightning. And frankly, I’m fine with it. Have I been drinking? Maybe. But that’s not what we’re here to discuss. What we’re here to discuss is how the coaching staff in Tampa is deploying their defenders and why Girardi being on the “top pair” is a misnomer that doesn’t tell the whole story.
First, let’s talk about what it means to be “top pair.” In the simplest sense, the top pairing is the one that goes first in line rushes. That’s traditionally how coaches communicate where a player ranks among their peers on the roster.