NHL

Rangers defensemen look to be more offensive-minded

There are a lot of differences between this year and last year for the Rangers, but one of them won’t be the defensemen’s aggressiveness philosophy.

With new coach Alain Vigneault finishing up his second day of training camp on Saturday, one of his stalwart blueliners, Dan Girardi, made that point and made it loudly. Joining the rush on a drill, and with no backcheckers to bother him, Girardi rifled a slap shot off the crossbar that careened in and caused a loud cheer to go up through the training facility.

“I’m going to try and bottle that one and keep it for the year,” Girardi said jokingly. “It was obviously fun to get that in there. We’re trying to have fun and work hard at the same time.”

In all seriousness, Girardi was clear that just as former coach John Tortorella had instructed his defensemen to join the rush, so does Vigneault. Though not a lot of time has been put into the installation of Vigneault’s full system, one of his early catchphrases has become “outnumbering the opponent.”

Vigneault cleared up what that could mean in some specific situations.

“Anytime we can make a 2-on-2 a 3-on-2, whether it be the D jumping up in the play or a forward that helped us break out,” the new coach said. “There’s not a lot of room on the ice in today’s game. Guys are so big, they’re so quick, they’re so strong. You have to sometimes be smart about the issues on the ice, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Girardi has not been known as much of an offensive player in his tenure with the Rangers, although his value as a leader and a shutdown defenseman has become paramount to the team’s previous success. But with what could be perceived as less emphasis on huddled defending and blocking shots, as it was under Tortorella, Girardi might have a chance to make more of an impact at the other end of the ice.

“[Vigneault] wants to see four-man, five-man rushes, and created odd-man rushes that way,” Girardi said. “I’m going to try this year to get up the ice as much as I can, and I think everyone is going to try and do the same.”

Another big adjustment for Girardi will be more tangible, as he settles back into wearing a visor for the first time since he got out of the AHL.

“I’ve been wearing it now for about five weeks, so I’m really used to it,” he said. “The only thing I noticed was in a battle in the corner, some snow gets up there. At the end of the day, it’s worth it to protect yourself.”

He saw firsthand how important proper protection is last season, after longtime backline mate Marc Staal took a puck to the face. Staal, coming off a devastating eye injury as a result, is now back on the ice with a long, tinted visor, and his boost for the team should be felt both on and off the ice.

“He’s a very dynamic guy out there — he’s a good skater, a great defensive player, and we missed him a lot [last] year, and we’re really glad to have him back,” Girardi said. “I think his personality is good to have around the room. He’s a funny guy, he tries to keep it light around the room as much as he can. When you get a guy like that back, you’re going to be better as a team.”