I like this look for the 08-09 Rangers defense....
Redden-Staal
Roszival-Girardi
Kalinin-Mara
I don't know, personally I think its common sense. We are paying Redden to be our number one and he should play there for the time being. I like Staal on the top pair because a Redden-Roszival pairing could be disastrous given that neither is regarded for their defensive play. I would rather have Staal there to back up Redden given Staal's sound defensive play despite his age.
This allows Roszival to play in a position better suited to his abilities as IMO a third defenseman. On a good team, Roszival should be a third defenseman, not playing top pairing minutes against the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin. Girardi would complement Roszival well given his sound defensive play and ability to play the body.
This leaves the third pairing where Mara and Kalinin, while both talented, are very inconsistent and can be exploited on higher pairings, thus making them perfect for a third pairing role. Of course this leaves the question of defensive depth given our present situation, but we could always just hope for no injuries the whole season and everyone plays up to expectations.
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08-09 Defensive Line Up
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