Mika Zibanejad
This is a painful one to put on here because everyone loves Mika Zibanejad and if you do not, you are doing hockey wrong. However, Zibanejad’s contract is just not without its risks. Every contract has risks obviously, but this one has a lot more than most others because of some of the same reasons I mentioned when talking about Trouba and Kreider.
Zibanejad has a long history of injuries, and that is a big worry when you are paying him $8.5 million a year. You can’t ignore the fact Ziba is already 29. Paying the Swede that much for the next 8 years. He’s well worth the money now, he’s a great player. Do not get that wrong, Mika Zibanejad is a top 15 center in the NHL, and you could make the case for top 10 when he truly at his best.
With the list of injuries Zibanejad has sustained, you have to be a little concerned about the latter stages of this deal. While that might be a problem down the line, it will still be a problem eventually. It’s really underlining that the Rangers, while they are a very young team, need to start winning soon because the older players are about to start to age into the regressive part of their careers.
I hate talking about Zibanejad like this. I want to talk about his next hat trick against Philadelphia, not the fact his contract is concerning. He’s more than worth his contract right now, he’s a point per game player. He’s a great Ranger and everything he does right now is well worth what he is paid. But at the end of that contract, there will likely be some pain to endure with this player.