New York Rangers: Navigating the do’s and dont’s of Zibanejad’s injury
It was announced on Thursday that New York Rangers top center Mika Zibanejad was not skating in practice due to a concussion diagnosis.
Zibanejad missed the Rangers’ previous game against the Florida Panthers. The team announced the 24-year-old center would not be in the lineup just minutes before puck drop on Tuesday.
It has since been reported that Zibanejad’s injury occurred in Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings (off a hit by Darren Helm). Initially, Zibanejad felt fine, was cleared and played against Vancouver on Sunday only to report his symptoms on Tuesday morning.
Zibanejad missing time is a big loss for the Rangers. He has had a great start in the first 24 games this year posting 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. He will leave a big hole in the Rangers’ first line center spot.
However, it is more important for them to ensure he comes back strong. Here is how they should and shouldn’t approach this injury to try and contain the impact his absence will have on their game.
DON’T: Make drastic changes to the lineup
The Rangers have to try to maintain consistency as best they can in Zibanejad’s absence. It is not a time panic and shuffle lines to see if there’s some sort of solution. There’s not.
The Rangers are in a fragile enough place as it is. Attempting to shuffle the lineup and break up wing pairs who have been playing together for some time now will only hurt the team more.
Shifting all centers up one slot is the most logical decision and this is what the Rangers should do.
Yes, there will be pressure on Kevin Hayes if he were to take over the top line. But he has a higher chance of being successful on a line with Kreider and Buchnevich, who have been playing together consistently now, than if you were to start moving everyone around.
Giving Miller a shot at the top line couldn’t hurt either. If you were really looking to keep the Vesey- Hayes-Nash line together, which has been successful as of late, a top line of Kreider-Miller-Buchnevich wouldn’t be so bad either.
The bottom line is this; if the coaching staff tries to do too much, it can be hard for a team to recover when the absent player returns to the lineup.
DO: Consider a center from Hartford
The Rangers have a strong group of players in Hartford that they should be taking more of an advantage of. This is the case generally speaking but an especially important to consider with Zibanejad out.
People around the NHL has been talking about Filip Chytil since he was drafted in June. Though he is on the younger side (turning 18 just before the Rangers preseason began) he played two games to start off his career with the team. Alain Vigneault sent him to Hartford after playing just 10 minutes through these two games.
However, since landing in Hartford, his numbers have looked promising. Chytil has only played in 13 of the Wolf Pack’s 23 games this season but has 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in those games. Additionally, in the first nine games Chytil played, the Wolf Pack scored 13 goals in 5v5 play. Chytil was on the ice for 11 of those 13 goals.
The Rangers have another option on the Wolf Pack in Vinni Lettieri. Lettieri looked good in the preseason games he played for New York. He is on the smaller side, but plays a big game, speed and skill wise, and looks close to NHL ready. In Hartford, he has recorded six goals and eight assists for 14 points, four of which came on the power play.
Finally, the Rangers could consider a new addition to the roster. On Thursday, they traded Adam Cracknell to Montreal and picked up center Peter Holland. Holland had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 20 games for his former team, the Laval Rocket. He also has some NHL experience.
DON’T: Play David Desharnais on the top line
Friday night’s expected lines (based on the lines Vigneault ran during practice on Thursday) are the same that were run on Tuesday against Florida. Desharnais managed to have three assists (one primary) on the night on this line, but that does not mean he is the right player to take over in Zibanejad’s absence.
As mentioned previously, it is in the Rangers best interest to play Kevin Hayes on the top line with Kreider and Buchnevich. Sure, Desharnais had three assists in Tuesday’s game against Florida, but Kreider and Buchnevich could help a toaster put up points with the way they’re playing.
Hayes would actually add value otothe top line. Desharnais tends to drag the players around him down. Most glaringly, he struggles to drive possession.
Playing on the third line in Sunday’s game against Vancouver, Desharnais recorded a 0 Corsi-For percentage. Perhaps this was a rare occurrence, and hopefully, we never see it happen again, but playing on the top line last game, he didn’t put up much higher numbers.
He recorded a 37 CF% in Tuesday’s game against Florida.
I understand Vigneault not wanting to split up the Vesey-Hayes-Nash and Grabner-Miller-Zuccarello lines, which have seen success recently. However, if it comes at the expense of your top line, that’s a problem.
DO: Explore the market
The Rangers should also consider looking outside their franchise for options.
They don’t necessarily need to be looking for someone who could fit into the top six. With their uncertainty in their current situation, it might put them in a scenario where they are willing to give too much. Rather their focus should be trying to find a solid third or fourth line center.
There are teams in the league who would be good trade partners in that they have a lot of options at center.
The Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Edmonton Oilers all have a lot of center depth that the Rangers should take a look at. Especially with Toronto and Edmonton where they have young players with that have been successful in their few years in the league.
So long as they are careful and don’t make the same mistake by giving more than they get in return, this is a perfect time to take a look at a few options.
DON’T: Bring him back too soon
This is absolutely the most important thing on this list. Concussions are not an injury to mess with.
The Rangers need to ensure that they allow Zibanejad full recovery time before sending him back out on the ice. Head injuries are especially dangerous for players in contact sports, especially if they are not given enough time to heal.
The Rangers will need to keep an eye on him coming back from the injury because if he comes back too soon he risks getting another diagnosis. It is likely that from there, it could become a recurring problem. In hockey, we have seen this with players like Sidney Crosby and the Rangers’ own, Marc Staal.
Timetables on concussion recovery time nowadays are different than they have been over the last decade. However, the Rangers have to be careful.
Next: How 5-on-5 play has impacted the penalty kill
They need to make the hard choice to keep Zibanejad out of the lineup for as long as it takes for him to feel 100%. If they don’t, the Rangers risk jeopardizing Zibanejad’s future on the team and his life after hockey as well.