The New York Rangers have had an up-and-down season so far through 31 games played. As of this writing, they currently occupy the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but are also five points out of first in the Metropolitan Division. They have the most road wins in the NHL with 12, but also have the fewest number of home wins with three. One player who has had an up-and-down season but has been more consistent lately is Mika Zibanejad.
Zibanejad Producing More Consistently Than Last Season
The past two seasons have seen Zibanejad’s offensive game drop off from what many were used to seeing from in. After a 39-goal, 91-point 2022-23, he dropped to just 26 goals and 72 points in 2023-24 and to only 20 goals and 62 points last season. Many were wondering if this was the start of his decline, but after a slow start to this season, Zibanejad’s offensive game has picked up and he is becoming more of a goal-scoring threat once again. He has scored 11 goals and recorded 24 points in 31 games.
While he is not the team leader in points as Artemi Panarin has 32 points in 31 games played, Zibanejad does lead the team in goals and is currently on a seven-game point streak. Over those seven games, he has scored four goals and recorded nine points, with two points coming last game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Rangers are going to need him to keep up this scoring if they want any chance to make the playoffs with how tight the Eastern playoff race is right now.
Has Become a Reliable Center Once Again
When the Rangers brought back J.T. Miller last season, Zibanejad was moved to the right wing on his line as he was struggling as a center. He became a more productive player to end last season, and the plan to start this season was to have him on Miller’s wing once again. However, after Vincent Trocheck went down with an injury in the second game of the season, they had no choice but to move Zibanejad back to center to spread out the scoring in the lineup. Right now, it seems that this move is paying off.
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Even when Trocheck returned to the lineup, Zibanejad remained at center while Miller and Trocheck have been playing on a line together. Having him back at center makes the lineup deeper and allows other players to play in roles they are more suited to. He is also winning 52.3% of his faceoffs this season, which is tied for the highest winning percentage of his career. Zibanejad has become a reliable center once again, and that is only good news for the Rangers.
Would Like to See More Scoring at Even Strength
If there is one area of Zibanejad’s game that could use some improvement, it’s his goal scoring at even strength. Of the 11 goals he has scored, seven have come on special teams and only four have come at even. That simply is not enough offense coming from an important top-six player.
While it is good that he has gotten back some of his goal-scoring magic on the power-play (six goals), the Rangers are going to need more from him at five-on-five. He is tied with Noah Laba and Taylor Raddysh for seventh on the team in even-strength goals, with a player such as Vladislav Gavrikov ahead of him right now. It’s been a good season for Zibanejad so far, but if he can up his goal scoring at even strength, a good season can turn into a great one.
The Rangers’ longest-tenured player has had an up-and-down season for his team, but recently, his offensive game has started to pick up and his defensive game has been very good. Zibanejad needed to be an impact player for the Rangers, and he has been through the first 31 games. If he can keep this up, or even play at a higher level, it will greatly help the Rangers’ chances of getting back to the playoffs.
