Mika Zibanejad turned a corner for the New York Rangers after a trade was made to bring J.T. Miller back to the Big Apple, and the success he showed then has rolled into the start of this season. The Rangers have played 26 games to date, and even though their plan for Zibanejad was derailed by injuries, the immediate outlook of Zibanejad in New York is looking a lot brighter than it was at this point last year.
New season, more sustainable Mika
On November 28. 2024, Zibanejad had appeared in 22 games for the Rangers and have four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. From an underlying numbers perspective, Zibanejad had a 36.59 GF%, a 42.46 CF%, and a 42.21 xGF% and fans were pretty fed up with him. That changed after Miller rejoined the Rangers, and in the final 32 games of the season he scored 11 goals and added 22 assists for 33 points. He also had a a 57.31 GF%, a 51.21 CF%, and a 49.22 xGF%. In the 50 games prior to that, Zibanejad had a 36.42 GF%, a 46.43 CF%, and a 47.44 xGF%.
Fast forwarding to this season, Zibanejad has nine goals, nine assists, and 18 points in 26 games and is third on the team in points behind Adam Fox (25 in 26) and Artemi Panarin (26 in 26). In terms of underlyings, Zibanejad had a 50.00 GF%, a 50.00 CF%, and a 54.24 xGF% which is a much better statistical bill of health for the Blueshirts' center turned winger and back to center again.
Although the raw points percentage is slightly higher (0.692 points per game vs. 0.681 points per game), the way he's playing suggests that he's due for a bit more success, and his game is sustainable. In terms of the points being down, it bears repeating that the Rangers have jumbled their lines around to adjust for injuries, with Zibanejad being moved off wing when Vincent Trocheck was injured, and Miller's been a shell of himself due to a nagging groin injury. What is encouraging is how Zibanejad's produce in the month of November, and we will get to that is just a bit.
Zibanejad has room to get better, and his improvement is something he saw coming
Ideally he will pick up production at 5v5, but it is important to consider that the Rangers as a collective unit have struggled to generate offense on home ice, and if the law of averages plays out over the remainder of the regular season, the Rangers will eventually be rewarded on home ice. Zibanejad is a player who is at his best when he is confident, and he's someone that often faces the media for questions, and is looked upon to give answers.
Following a loss in October, Zibanejad said he had to score, and expanded on that saying "I’d be more worried if we didn’t get any chances, if I don’t get that chance, if we don’t get those chances. It’s frustrating for us. It’s frustrating for me."
In October the Rangers played 12 games and Zibanejad went 4-2-6. The Blueshirts have played 14 games in November and Zibanejad is 5-7-12 with a game left to go before December starts. The team is starting to finish chances they have generated, something they didn't do as much in October, and Zibanejad has been a beneficiary of that.
The upcoming schedule is going to be an interesting test for the Rangers, and the environment should bring out the best of the team's top players. Zibanejad is in a groove right now, and the goal if for him to use his confidence as fuel to push things to another level. Fans have seen this before, and while Zibanejad may never repeat 41 goals in 57 games, I think they will settle for this year's pace of play vs. what they saw for most of last season.