Mika Zibanejad's Slow Start: A Sign of the Player He's Become?

Mika Zibanejad has gotten off to a slow start in the 2024-25 campaign with the New York Rangers. In the first 9 games, Zibanejad has registered seven points—two goals and five assists (with only two points coming at 5-on-5)—and he has a minus-three rating in the plus/minus department.

Another concerning stat is that he has only 17 shots on goal, averaging less than two shots per game. Known for his patented one-timer, Zibanejad is at his best when he's firing pucks on net. While the Rangers are off to a solid 6-2-1 start, it’s alarming that they've scored 37 goals, yet Zibanejad has only contributed two of them, with just one at 5-on-5.

Last season, Mika Zibanejad recorded 26 goals and 46 assists for 72 points in 81 games. While those numbers aren’t terrible, the 26 goals marked his lowest total in an 82-game season since his first year with the Rangers in 2016-17, when he scored 14 goals in 56 games.

A major issue for Zibanejad last year was his 5-on-5 scoring, as he went 31 consecutive games without scoring a 5-on-5 goal and managed only 35 even-strength points all season. In the playoffs, Zibanejad underperformed when the Rangers needed him most, recording just 6 even-strength points and one even-strength goal in 16 games. After an overall down year, he was looking to bounce back this season.

Zibanejad has consistently played alongside Chris Kreider throughout his Rangers career, but that line has struggled since Pavel Buchnevich's departure. The team has rotated various wingers in to play with them, yet nothing has clicked. Zibanejad no longer has the same foot speed he had during the 2019-20 season, when he scored 41 goals in 57 games.

He seems overly focused on passing to Kreider and others, lacking the shooter's mentality he once had. While he remains a solid defensive center and decent in the face-off circle, his 5-on-5 production has steadily declined over the past few seasons. The Rangers are paying him to be their top-line center, but right now, he’s playing more like a middle-six center on a contending team.

His hesitation to shoot on the power play and his overall play may warrant giving Alexis Lafreniere a chance in his spot until Zibanejad improves and becomes more assertive with his shot. I even think, at 5-on-5, Filip Chytil should overtake him as the first-line center, as Chytil has been the Rangers' best player at even strength. Chytil has been flying all over the ice, with four goals and three assists this season, six of those points coming at even strength.

The season is still very early, but the trends and data from the past couple of seasons are concerning. If the Rangers want to compete for a Stanley Cup with this roster, Mika Zibanejad must improve his 5-on-5 scoring, or the Rangers won’t go far when the playoffs arrive in April. The Rangers' next game is on November 1st at home against Ottawa, where Zibanejad will look to get his season going.