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Torts plans to “play the hell out of” Girardi and McDonagh

Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh

Rangers coach John Tortorella has no plans to reduce the workload for his two top defensemen, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh.

In fact, Tortorella intends to “play the hell out of them every day,” per Newsday’s Steve Zipay.

Girardi (26:14) and McDonagh (24:44) were among the NHL’s leaders in average ice time in 2011-12, during both the regular season and the Rangers’ 20-game playoff run.

Tortorella was adamant before and after the Rangers were eliminated that fatigue wasn’t a factor for his team, calling it a media-driven non-story.

It should be noted that Girardi, 28, and McDonagh, 23, were forced to play particularly big minutes – sometimes more than half the game – early last season while Marc Staal was recovering from a concussion.