The New York Rangers’ disappointing 2024-25 season ended with them missing the playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy and making a run to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Many players struggled, including center Mika Zibanejad, who played an important role in the team’s success in 2023-24.
Trading Zibanejad is likely unrealistic, as he is signed through 2029-30 with a no-movement clause. The Rangers need him to play much better to make the postseason next season.
Zibanejad’s Play This Season
After finishing with 39 goals and 52 assists in 2022-23, Zibanejad finished with 26 goals and 46 assists in 2023-24 and also had three goals and 13 assists in 16 postseason games. Though his production decreased, he was still excellent on special teams and one of the Rangers’ best defensive forwards.
This season, Zibanejad’s offensive production continued to decline, and he uncharacteristically played poorly defensively. Early in the season, he repeatedly had sloppy turnovers after bad decisions and sometimes simply lost control of the puck. He was also late to backcheck and looked lost at times.
In addition to his defensive struggles, Zibanejad’s timing was off, and he frequently fanned on shots and missed the net. He had six goals, 15 assists, and was minus-22 in his first 36 games. His inability to score on slap shots hurt the Rangers’ power play as they scored on just 17.6 percent of their power plays this season after scoring on 26.4 percent of them last season.
Zibanejad did play better during the second half of the season as his timing was better, and he started to produce more offensively. He looked to shoot the puck rather than defer to teammates, and he played well once he was moved to the wing after the Rangers acquired center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. He played with more confidence and had 14 goals and 27 assists in the final 46 games of the season. He still made some defensive mistakes, but his play was a lot better, and he ended the season with 20 goals, 42 assists, and was minus-22.
Zibanejad’s Role Next Season
Part of the frustration with Zibanejad’s play this season is that many of his mistakes were mental errors. However, those mistakes can be corrected, and he was a reliable defensive forward for many seasons with the Rangers. The entire team needs…
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