In this latest edition of New York Rangers News & Rumors, star center Mika Zibanejad left practice early with an upper-body injury, and an update has been provided. In other news, the Rangers will be without top prospect Brennan Othmann for the next little bit due to an upper-body injury as well. Lastly, Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller has been named the club’s top breakout candidate for the 2023-24 season. Let’s go over all of this in today’s (Sep. 25) Rangers News & Rumors now.
Zibanejad Suffers Injury at Practice
The Rangers had a scary development occur at practice yesterday (Sep. 24), as Zibanejad left practice holding his right arm and very slowly, per Vince Z. Mercogliano. Seeing your top center leave practice injured is never a good thing, and an injury update has since been provided. The Rangers said that Zibanejad has suffered an upper-body injury and is currently deemed as day-to-day, relayed by Arthur Staple.
Hearing that Zibanejad’s injury is likely to be a short-term one is good news for the Rangers. He is one of their top forwards, and starting the season without him would not have been ideal. However, assuming all goes correctly with his recovery, he should be back on the ice soon.
Related: Rangers News & Rumors: Jones, Training Camp & Arvanitis
Zibanejad, 30, appeared in 82 games last season with the Rangers, posting 39 goals and a career-high 91 points. Needless to say, the club’s first-line center was spectacular last season, and he will be looking to build off it in 2023-24. Before doing that, he will need to get healthy, of course.
Rangers Announce Othmann Injury
The Rangers also announced that Othmann is dealing with a day-to-day upper-body injury. Due to this, he did not participate in practice yesterday (Sep. 24), and he will likely be sidelined over the next few days.
This is not ideal news for Othmann, as he is currently trying to earn an NHL spot and already has a lot working against him. This is not a knock on the 2021 first-round pick but more as a testament of how strong the Rangers’ depth is at left wing. Missing days at camp is naturally not doing him any favors with earning a spot on their opening night roster.
Othmann, 20, had an excellent season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2022-23, posting 29 goals and 67 points in 56 games split between the Flint Firebirds and Peterborough Petes. After a season like this, the 6-foot winger is expected to make a big impact in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack this campaign.
Miller Named Biggest Rangers Breakout Candidate
When hockey fans think of Rangers breakout candidates, it is easy to automatically jump to Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko. It is easy to understand why, as they each are former top prospects who have yet to emerge as the stars scouts believe they can be. Yet, in a recent article for The Athletic, Staple argued that defenseman K’Andre Miller is the club’s top breakout candidate in 2023-24. Here’s exactly what he said on the matter:
“Miller really broke out last season with 43 points, but when you’re part of a defense with perennial Norris Trophy candidate Adam Fox, you’re going to be overlooked. Miller should benefit from new coach Peter Laviolette’s system that encourages defensemen to get up the ice this season, and his incredible skating should get him more noticed.”
from ‘Each NHL team’s biggest breakout candidate for 2023-24,’ Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 9/23/23
As Staple notes in his piece, Miller took a major step forward last season, posting new career highs with nine goals, 34 assists, and 43 points. However, when noting that Miller is still only 23 years old, it is fair to argue that he can continue to improve in 2023-24. With that, it will be intriguing to see how well he meshes with Peter Laviolette behind the bench. As Staple argued, he could be a great match for his system.
