The New York Rangers picked up a key Metropolitan Divisional victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 2-1 in a shootout. The lone goal in regulation from the Blueshirts was from one of their longest tenured members of this current regime, Mika Zibanejad.
What was more, was that this goal was the 600th point as a Blueshirt in the 668th game with the franchise. Zibanejad now stands with some historic company and may have cemented his legacy in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
Moving up the all-time leaderboards
In eighth place in the all-time leaderboard for points scored by a Rangers player, Zibanejad is now just 10 points away from tying Ron Greschner for seventh. Last season was a huge step backward for No. 93, but that seems to have been left behind as this season has shaped up to be a solid start to the first 18 games.
With six goals and five assists for 11 points, Zibanejad is among the leaders of this group in points, in fourth place behind Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafrenière. He has been shifted back and forth between center and the wing with the injury to Vincent Trocheck, but has still found a solid footing.
Potentially pass Gilbert
At 32 years old, will be 33 in the middle of April, there is a serious conversation to be had that Zibaneajad might catch the great Rod Gilbert. Let us not forget that he is still 421 points away from that mark, but it is still a doable amount.
Say he plays another six seasons, registering an average of 65 points a season, which is doable for him even as he ages into his thirties, there is a definitive chance there. The big question is if the Rangers will hold onto him long enough to make that happen.
Zibanejad has seen a bit of a decline in point production, and the pipeline is jammed up with centers. He remains a Ranger through the end of the 2029-30 season with a no movement clause. That is another four seasons, plus the rest of this one we are currently in.
If he can still contribute at that point, why not hold onto him for the rest of his career? Should that happen, or if he can finish anywhere in the top three of most points all time, there is a valid point that No. 93 should be hanging among the greatest Rangers of all time.