Before you come at this with pitchforks, be rational for this read. There is no doubt Mika was not up to his own standards during this season and the series vs Florida. He is expected to be at a higher level with his cap hit, but in sports players will have down season(s), Mika just had his first real one. Prior to this season, Zibanejad was one of the high flying centers of the league, in 3 of his last 4 seasons, Mika produced: 22/23: 39G 52A 91P (Rangers Team MVP), 21-22: 81P 81GP, 19/20: 41G, 71P, 57GP. And in the Rangers last ECF run, he produced 24P in 20 GP. In my opinion much of the styming of the offense was more due to Barkov and Floridas suffocating play style, for example in these playoffs Barkov at EV allowed just 1 goal combined between Kucherov, Pastrnak, and Panarin, while completely ng shutting down the top flight powerplays of Tampa and NYR. Once again, there is no doubt he was not up to these standards in 23/24, but he does not deserve this hate of begging for him to be bought out or wishing he did not have an NMC. Down years, and fanbases wishing a player goes are very common (ex. Panarin and Laf after last season)…. Made this post about Panarin after last season as well. Trust in Mika, he 100% knows he has to be better and he will be. Thank you if you made it this far.
by kravdangle
26 Comments
He’s never “up to standard” in the playoffs
Regular season stats literally don’t matter
Regular season gets you paid. Playoffs are where legacies are made. Mika has failed that test.
Three years of failing in the playoffs when it matters most tells the whole story with him
Regular season means shit
You wrote a lot but remember he doesn’t do anything when it counts. Simply put he’s not good enough to get us a cup.
To the people who are commenting about the playoffs, I wrote about how even higher toubted stars have preformed awfully against Florida (same for Mika). The entire team sucked in 22/23. In 21/22 Mika had 24P in 20 GP in the playoffs.
No issues if Mika is back but he’s obviously declining and if they had a way to move off him (they won’t) they should definitely consider it
By golly, Mika! Where have you been the past two weeks pal? Missed ya!
Time to move from out “#1C” that everyone knows is #2. Breakup the Mika-Krieder bromance that’s blocking the kids from moving up.
I vaguely recall there being a long-haired guy who played for the Rangers but haven’t seen him in soooo long, can’t recall his name…Mike something, I think
nah, you can suck, you can get smothered, but effort is something else, they can’t take effort away from you.
This motherfucker showed no effort. Fuck him.
Can we split up Kreider / Zibanajed?
I’m not as down on him as some, but I think there is a problem here. Without his one-timer (which seems to have dried up) he’s not as dangerous a player. He still works hard on defense.
forgot what he looked like
What about that board battle in game 5 where he failed to even attempt to fight for the puck and then gave up when an inadvertent elbow barely glanced him. That ultimately cost up goal 3 and the game. I lost respect for that dude right then and. He folded like a cheap tent.
eh
Well said. Bunch of fucking keyboard warriors talking shit about half the roster that was literally a few bounces from making the finals. And people then say ‘why does everyone in r/hockey hate the Rangers? It’s childish behavior that tries to tell everyone how to behave in the comments during the playoffs and then flip the script when we get eliminated like a jeckyl and hyde act. Grow the fuck up and stop overreacting to fucking EVERYTHING!
sorry, he’s physically and mentally soft and only shines in the playoffs against inferior teams.
More like Zibanebad
It’s unfortunate, but Mika dose not have the killer instinct it’s not his makeup, his personality is likely the same both on and off the ice. Some players are terror on the ice. And the nicest off of it. Mika is very likable. But as Mike Keenan said, you need abnormal behavior to win the Stanley cup. If Mika can’t adjust his on ice behavior at playoff time, the result most likely will be the same. I know it’s easier said then done. Most of us are upset with Mika because he is a man you really want to root for he has been a really good Ranger. We all would like to see him be a great one.
He can be dealt. Don’t think it can’t happen. Yes I know the contract is brutal, we all do. Had a good run,almost a decade as a Ranger. Time to part ways guys.
Barkov and his line completely outperformed Mika, but when Mika had control of the puck, notice how many defenders surrounded him. He had no space to maneuver. His stick was being hit, and his legs and hands were being slashed. The defence were all over him. He was shut down and entirely removed from the game. He needed to find some open ice, but that’s much easier said than done.
The thing no one can say is mika can’t play more than 18 mins a game and be an effective top 6 player.
I was more upset with Bread, I know he was getting shut down as well but ,He avoided throwing checks to help the play and was dumping the puck to avoid being hit. That’s not something you can do if you want to win in the playoffs.
Who is this guy
Amazing how many fans are wanting to forgive a guy that chose faking an injury over battling for a puck that ended up in our empty net.
When push came to shove. He chose to find an exit.
mika zibanejad will help the rangers win the cup as a 3rd line center