I agree, our record without him is quite poor. I also think that the refs listen to him. Kesler and Burrows have a bad reputation and the Sedins never really get the respect they deserve. Bieksa from what I notice has a good reputation on and off the ice.
On the subject of Garrison, love the signing. I think he may be having an influence somewhere else on the team, that being on Raymond. The two are pretty much best friends, and having close friends on the team can generally help motivate and mend confidence, that is what I think happened to MayRay this season. I think as long as Garrison is on the team, so should Raymond.