Offseason Questions: Where Do You Play Mika Zibanejad?
The Rangers have big questions this summer, but none loom larger than this: Where does Mika Zibanejad actually fit?
Welcome to Offseason Questions! A weekly segment leading up to the NHL Entry Draft that will pose some of the biggest questions facing the New York Rangers this offseason.
The Rangers are in a very complicated, interesting, and unique situation. In the three seasons leading up to this most recent one, they made it to the Eastern Conference Final twice and were always in the conversation as potential Stanley Cup contenders. Last season, however, was an utter disaster which resulted in them missing the playoffs altogether. It’s easy to suggest that this team needs to change drastically as a result of that, but what can you realistically do? The way I see it, there are some major questions that need to be answered before you can really begin to shape the roster for next season.
Question 1: Is Mika Zibanejad a Center or a Wing?
There are so many questions we can ponder about with this Rangers team as they begin to navigate the offseason, but none of which are more pressing than a decision regarding Mika Zibanejad. No, this isn’t going to be about trading him—he has trade protection and he’s not going to waive it. One of the most important decisions the Rangers need to make before anything else this summer is what exactly the plan is going to be for Zibanejad moving forward.
Is he going to stay down the middle at his natural center position, or is he going to permanently shift over to the wing?
