Who is the 2019-20 New York Rangers MVP?

It’s an interesting question.  Who is the New York Rangers’ MVP this season?  It comes down to either Mika Zibanejad or Artemi Panarin.

The most valuable player to a team is different from the best player on a team.  It should go to the player who defines value, not just in statistics, but is based on performance and leadership.   If anyone had been asked this question in mid-December, the overwhelming response would have been Artemi Panarin, but when the New York Rangers began their improbably run for the playoffis, it was Mika Zibanejad who rose to the occasion.

To be honest, the right answer is to split the award and give it to Panarin and ZIbanejad.  But we are not going to take the easy route and do that.  One player gets the honor and we have to to determine who it is.

The case for Panarin

There are arguments for both players, but Panarin provides some compelling data.  In this abbreviated season he has scored 32 goals and added 63 assists. That’s 95 points in only 69 games.

Those 32 goals are the most since Rick Nash scored 42 goals in 2014-15.  To find a player not named Gaborik or Nash who scored that many, you have to go all the way back to Eric Lindros in 2001-02.

His 63 assists are even more impressive. The last player to get as many was Jaromir Jagr who had 66 assists in 2006-07 and he had a full season to do it.  Before the season was suspended, Panarin had a shot at having the best assist season since Wayne Gretzky‘s 72 in 1996-97.  That’s pretty remarkable.

He is averaging 20:36 ice time per game and he singlehandedly transformed the Rangers from a rebuilding franchise into a playoff contender.

He has been held scoreless in only 15 games this season and the number of important goals he scored or set up are too numerous to mention.   His excellence has helped the rest of the team.  Ryan Strome is having a career year on the same line and the focus on Panarin has freed the rest of the team from heavy checking.

There is no doubt that in any other season, Panarin is the MVP hands down.

The case of Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad was the Rangers’ MVP last season and he hasn’t done anything to relinquish that title.    Despite missing 13 games with an neck injury, he has scored 41 goals. He has 75 points for the season and leads the team with six game winning goals.

Zibanejad has he best goals per game average in the NHL at 0.72.  That’s better than Alex Ovechkin (0.71), David Pastrnak (0.69), Auston Matthews (0.67) and Leon Draisaitl (0.61)

Zibanejad plays 21:38 minutes per game, a full minute more than Panarin and fifth most among forwards in the entire NHL .  He is also the team’s best penalty killer.  In one remarkable statistic, the Swede is the only player in the league who ranks in the top 20 in power play ice time per game (3:40) and averages more than 1:44 ice time per game killing penalties.

In fact, among the top 20 power play specialists, ,Zibanejad average 2:37 minutes per game killing penalties, almost a minute more than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who is next most with 1:43.

In fact, here’s how much the four skaters who have scored more goals than Zibanejad play on the penalty kill. Leon Draisaitl averages 52 seconds of penalty kill time. Auston Matthews averages two seconds and Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak average one second of penalty kill time per game.

He has been held scoreless in 17 games this season. Everyone knows that he was on a scorching hot streak when the season was suspended with 11 goals in his last six games and 17 in his last 11 games.

Based on the last month of the season, Zibanejad is the MVP, hands down.