Blue Line Station
Fansided

4 players who could be next captain of the New York Rangers

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 06: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on April 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 06: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on April 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Mika Zibanejad – The favorite

Despite only being in The Big Apple for three years now, Mika Zibanejad has morphed into an inspirational leader for the New York Rangers both on and off the ice. And, as a result, he is now many fans’ popular choice to become the next captain of the Blueshirts.

You can see why. He’s grown as both a player and as a person during his time in New York, elevating his play on the ice to an elite level while developing into a locker room leader for the franchise’s boatload of high-end prospects.

Since being acquired in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on July, 18, 2016, Zibanejad has improved considerably as a player and he’s now on the cusp of being considered in the conversation when discussing the upper echelons of centers in the NHL. His base stats compare favorably with the best of the best in the majors and he’s now one of the leading men for the Blueshirts.

Under contract through 2022, Zibanejad is both the present and the immediate future of this storied franchise and he will be one of the leading men of this rebuild, which is about to enter its final phase. He is a trusted figure both on the ice and in the locker room and he will be leaned upon even more in 2019-20 as the Rangers prepare to ice one of the youngest rosters in the NHL for the second consecutive season.

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers looks on during a break in the action against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers looks on during a break in the action against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Not only has Zibanejad become a glue guy in the locker room but he’s also a game-changer on the ice, as backed up by his career-year in 2018-19. The pivot achieved career-highs in games played (82), goals (30), assists (44), points (74), power play points (23), shots (236), ATOI (20:34), blocked shots (66) and takeaways (69).

Those numbers prove Zibanejad’s prowess in both zones for the Blueshirts last year and, at 26-years-old, he’s just about to hit his prime and reach the peak of his powers so the best could still be to come. Plus, with elite playmaker Artemi Panarin likely to start this year on his line, Zibanejad will almost certainly elevate his production to a whole new level and further cement his status as one of the players to watch in the NHL.

Also, having worn the ‘A’ on his jersey last year, Zibanejad has displayed all the hallmarks of a model leader and he’s hugely respected both on and off the ice. He lets his play do the talking for him and he doesn’t take a shift off, which is the perfect approach you want from your Captain. He can take the likes of Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov under his wing, help to nurture them and be on hand to offer advice as they embark on what will hopefully be a long and glittering career in the NHL for the pair.

The center was also the recipient of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award in 2018-19, presented to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, “goes above and beyond the duty.” That honor highlights Zibanejad’s importance to this franchise and also how much he is respected by both team-mates and the fans.

Zibanejad has made all the right noises since he was traded to the New York Rangers and, having had his coming-of-age party in 2018-19, he’s ready to take that next step in his career and he would be the perfect choice to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Mark Messier, take on the hallowed ‘C’ and lead this franchise back to the glory days.

Home/Analysis