New York Rangers: Zibanejad and some comparable centers in the Metro

Let’s look at some of the Metropolitan Division’s second line centers and see how they compare to New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad.

The rebuilding New York Rangers have a few intriguing center prospects knocking on the door to the big club. The hype surrounding players like Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, and Filip Chytil are merited due to their high upside, but what if the Rangers have a number one center already?

Mika Zibanejad could be on the road to becoming that guy. Since coming over from Ottawa in the Derrick Brassard trade, Zibanejad has shown flashes of becoming a dynamic scorer and play-maker.

His point per game total of .66 in his first season, and .65 in his second season shows a steady level of production on the offensive side while dealing with constant line changes. With a more consistent line composition, Zibanejad could see his point production rise as chemistry between line-mates increases.

Let’s get this out-of-the-way very quickly; the Metropolitan has serious star power at center. Even with the exodus of John Tavares to Toronto, the division still boasts the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Notable second line centers also include Evgeni Malkin and Niklas Backstrom.

To compare Mika to these players doesn’t make a ton of sense; these players are stars. In an ideal world, the Rangers hope that Filip Chytil can become the franchise’s number one center in a year or two. How would Zibanejad rank among some of the other second line centers in the division?

Sean Couturier

Coming off of a break-out campaign, which saw his production skyrocket to the tune of 76 points in 82 games played, Couturier hadn’t been seen as a point producer.

His second best offensive season came back in the 2015-2016 season when he scored 39 points in 63 games played. This is a lower point per game production rate (.62) than either one of Zibanejad’s years in New York.

The biggest reason that changed for Couturier could have been Claude Giroux’s move to his line as left-wing. Combine this with the fact that he rarely saw his line change at all and you get a recipe for a break out season.

While Zibanejad doesn’t have anyone of Giroux’s caliber to play on his line, consistency in linemates brings good line chemistry. If coach David Quinn can find a line that works and sticks with it, maybe Zibanejad can enjoy similar results to Couturier.

Jordan Staal

A veteran center in the NHL, Staal hasn’t had the offensive success that his brother Eric has had in Minnesota. Jordan Staal has had pedestrian seasons offensively for Carolina; with his best season coming two seasons ago. His 45 points in 75 games played is a lower production rate than Zibanejad; and at his age he most likely won’t continue as Carolina’s number one center for long.

Zibanejad could easily outpace Staal in point production, but an area that Staal easily beats him out would be in face off win percentage. While Mika has won over 50 percent of his face offs in his two seasons in New York, Staal has a higher win percentage at a career mark of just under 56 percent.

While point production is truly important, becoming better in the dot would make Mika that much of a better player.

Pierre-Luc Dubois

This player is a bit of a wild card.

Dubois hit the scene for Columbus and ousted Alexander Wennberg for the top center spot. His rookie season in Columbus boasted a successful offensive campaign.

With 48 points in 82 games played Dubois is an interesting name to watch out for next season. However, with the seemingly impending departure of star forward Artemi Panarin, Dubois may experience a slight sophomore slump.

Zibanejad may score more than Dubois next season; quite possibly even for the next few seasons. However, I’d be remiss to say that the young Columbus forward doesn’t have great potential as well.

It will be interesting to watch these two players go head to head for the foreseeable future as the number one centers for their respective teams.