" Hi, I'm Jeff. I have this great defenseman on the block. He's yours for a bag of pucks!"Photo: Bruce Bennett (Getty Images)

“Hi, I’m Jeff. I have this great defenseman on the block. He’s yours for a bag of pucks!” Photo: Bruce Bennett (Getty Images)

Tonight is surely the beginning of the end for Dan Girardi as a Ranger. First of all because it is now clear to everyone that Girardi is no longer superhuman and the once-warrior is accumulating injuries like never before. Hey, this is what players past their sell by dates often do. Secondly Dylan McIlrath can surely do no worse even if he doesn’t excel, right? And thirdly, as mentioned yesterday the Rangers are trying to do the unlikely and jump in front of the speeding train that is Pittsburgh and get it to stop. Can the Rangers really continue with Girardi if they exit the playoffs early? Surely not.

If he is sheltered, Girardi can probably add value to a team where he better fits, where they may want a veteran presence, where he can player in a more friendly system and where the media glare is not so intense after every mistake. That’s the qualifier to this post.

Addressing Girardi’s situation this summer is the first, truly meaningful act of Jeff Gorton’s reign as Rangers GM and he cannot afford to get it wrong. Let’s be honest, the contract situation of Derek Stepan was tricky but if the worst case scenario was overpaying a good, young player to stay with the only club he’s ever known a few more dollars that he would have gotten on the open market anyway? Yes, Gorton still hasn’t faced a true crossroads moment. Well, Girardi is that crossroad moment.

Even Girardi’s biggest supporters (of which I was one for well over half a decade) can see the Rangers have no choice but to get him off the roster – Gorton has to do this. If that means sending him to a hockey Siberia and ‘forcing’ a move on the proud Girardi, then so be it. The Rangers are often called a classy organisation but sometimes you have to do the right thing not the classy thing. Gorton needs to do the right thing.

Would the proud Girardi rather play another 3 or 4 years (a-la Michael Rozsival) or be in the press box or even worse, be “Wade Redden’d” to some degree?  Gorton needs to make Girardi his absolute priority even above ensuring he retains Keith Yandle and getting Chris Kreider on a sensible deal. He needs to tell Girardi after the season ends (and whenever that may be) that in no uncertain terms the Rangers need to move on. This can’t even be subtle. Girardi needs to be told, “thanks but no thanks”.

Gorton has the opportunity to play the hero. If he can find an Oilers, Coyotes or Montreal team stupid enough to give legitimate value then great – it will  be a heist of epic proportions that will help Gorton cement his name as GM. If all he can do is get a club desperate to reach the cap floor to take Girardi but has to do it on bad terms well, he still needs to do it. This club’s long term health centers around Gorton’s ability to rid several bad contracts this summer – regardless of how. (Most) fans will forgive the GM of the quality of return as long as he finds takers for the bad deals.

It’s important to realise the core of this roster is not good, it’s actually very good. A full rebuild is not needed. Careful moves and addressing the bad contracts will go a long way to maintaining a strong position in a mediocre East albeit an East that has several teams well lined-up to improve. Gorton’s responsibility lies in keeping up with the Jones’s aka Florida, Buffalo, Philly as well as the well established crew of the Caps, Pens and Tampa.

As the Rangers take on a scorching hot Pens team this afternoon they are only one game down even if it seems the end is close. Stranger things have happened and the Rangers could eliminate the Pens, eliminate the Caps and eventually find themselves playing hockey in May and June, again. If they do, it needs to be Girardi’s swansong because if it isn’t then this team will soon forget what May and June hockey feels like. This is not on Dan Girardi. It’s not even on Alain “Mr Loyalty” Vigneault. This, this summer, this is on Jeff Gorton.

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