Player Discussion Mika 'DJ Z-Bad' Zibanejad, Part 4: Untz Untz, it's all about the hi-hat (trick)

[Mathieu]

Zibanejad had a habit of looking like the second coming of Jesus for 3-4 games then disappearing for the next 20.

I wouldn't get too worried here.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Well, we traded Zib because he didn't fit with Ryan. Thus we obtained an older player to invest in chemistry with another older player, and didn't keep the 23 year old.

Did we pull a Vancouver and trade the younger guy(schneider/zib) only cause we couldn't move the older guy(Loungo/Ryan)? But we will still inevitably have to trade the older guy(Ryan/Luongo) anyway cause he still doesn't fit this team?

It's still way too early to tell and I think Brassard is a great acquisition nevertheless. Remains to be seen what happens. I still think Turris will end up with Bobby and Brassard with Stone and that's when the team will be at its best.

In these first two games I thought Ryan was playing with Turris more so than Brassard?

 

[BonkTastic]

It's days like this where I'm glad HFBoards has an "ignore thread" option.

 

[Sens]

No matter what your feelings are on the trade, this is objectively untrue. If you need to lie to get your point across, maybe consider that it's not a point worth making.

I'll remember to bump this thread at the end of the season when Zibanjad has out produced Brassard

 

[Knave]

Zibanejad had a habit of looking like the second coming of Jesus for 3-4 games then disappearing for the next 20.

I wouldn't get too worried here.

It's like people forgot 2 seasons ago where he was ice cold with a hot stretch in the new year. Or even this past season where he was hit or miss.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I'll remember to bump this thread at the end of the season when Zibanjad has out produced Brassard

Don't think this will happen tbh.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Zibanejad had a habit of looking like the second coming of Jesus for 3-4 games then disappearing for the next 20.

I wouldn't get too worried here.

Had around a PPG in the last 20 games of 2015/16 - he's just continuing that great stretch.

He's been a PPG center over his last 20+ games.

 

[Six Assets]

He's been a PPG center over his last 20+ games.

false

 

[thinkwild]

Mika has had moments of power forwardness. He is good. And he's getting off to a good start. If he keeps it up, man he's gonna get paid this summer. Brassard is $5mil for 3 years. Will Mika get more than that?

At $2 mil, he's a nice bit of cap space usage with potential. When he gets paid as one of the top players ... wouldnt we rather someone cheaper who fits better? Or will he get paid less than Brassard for 5 or 6 years to be in the Rangers core?

 

[Sens]

false

His last 40GP in the NHL 31Pts... He's getting there

 

[Hale The Villain]

I think it's been well established that this deal was a losing one for the Sens in the long-term no matter what Brassard does for this team. In 3 years we'll have a 32 year old UFA and the Rangers will have a 26 year old Zibanejad just entering his prime. I don't know how anyone could claim that this trade makes us better in the future.

The only redeeming quality this deal had was that Brassard could be significantly better than Zibanejad in the short-term. If he's about the same quality of player, or god forbid even worse than Zibanejad over the next 3 years, this deal is just laughably bad. The kind of deal you look back on and wonder what the hell the GM was thinking.

Of course I have called the trade a disaster since it happened, and I even thought that Brassard would be the better player when I made that claim. If Zibanejad continues to out-perform Brassard, this deal will be one of the worst in Sens history.

 

[MarkStone]

I'll remember to bump this thread at the end of the season when Zibanjad has out produced Brassard

You realize that even given the potential situation of Zibanejad outproducing Brassard, we can be a better team with Brassard slotted into Mika's former role? Zibanejad is going to get a ton of pp time, while playing with wingers that have strong play-making abilities at even strength.
It would be a massive black mark on his career if that, combined with him being in the best shape of his life due to a contract year didn't result in him putting up some points. And despite this, we're still probably going to be a more balanced team with Brassard instead.

 

[MarkStone]

I think it's been well established that this deal was a losing one for the Sens in the long-term no matter what Brassard does for this team. In 3 years we'll have a 32 year old UFA and the Rangers will have a 26 year old Zibanejad just entering his prime. I don't know how anyone could claim that this trade makes us better in the future.

The only redeeming quality this deal had was that Brassard could be significantly better than Zibanejad in the short-term. If he's about the same quality of player, or god forbid even worse than Zibanejad over the next 3 years, this deal is just laughably bad. The kind of deal you look back on and wonder what the hell the GM was thinking.

Of course I have called the trade a disaster since it happened, and I even thought that Brassard would be the better player when I made that claim. If Zibanejad continues to out-perform Brassard, this deal will be one of the worst in Sens history.

And Colin White and Logan Brown are 4, and 5 years younger than Zibanejad respectively. Organizational center depth is quite a beautiful thing.

 

[Here I Pageau Again]

You realize that even given the potential situation of Zibanejad outproducing Brassard, we can be a better team with Brassard slotted into Mika's former role? Zibanejad is going to get a ton of pp time, while playing with wingers that have strong play-making abilities at even strength.
It would be a massive black mark on his career if that, combined with him being in the best shape of his life due to a contract year didn't result in him putting up some points. And despite this, we're still probably going to be a more balanced team with Brassard instead.

This. So much this!

Even if Zibanejab out produces Brassard, that doesn't mean we "lose" the trade.

No one here has a crystal ball. We don't know if Zibanejab would help Ottawa win more than Brassard. And we will never know.

Ottawa has been waiting for Zibanejab to be the player they hoped. Who's to say he would have ever become that in Ottawa?

Ottawa took a chance at being better now. Filling that L handed playmaker role Ottawa has tried to force Zibanejab into in hopes that one of our prospects at C would take over long term.

It may be a risk. Or it may turn out that Ottawa improves and doesn't skip a beat with the "loss" of Zibanejad. No one can say exactly what will happen 2-4 years from now.

Again.... two games

 

[Hale The Villain]

Mika has had moments of power forwardness. He is good. And he's getting off to a good start. If he keeps it up, man he's gonna get paid this summer. Brassard is $5mil for 3 years. Will Mika get more than that?

At $2 mil, he's a nice bit of cap space usage with potential. When he gets paid as one of the top players ... wouldnt we rather someone cheaper who fits better? Or will he get paid less than Brassard for 5 or 6 years to be in the Rangers core?

If the only downside of a deal is that the player might perform so well that the team will be forced to pay him big money, than the deal is a damn good one.

Besides Zibanejad is an upcoming RFA, not a UFA. Kid's bargaining power is limited. He can't force the Rangers to give him a big contract. He'll get the same kind of long-term deal for around 5M that other young players of his caliber have gotten. Sens could have easily stomached that deal, especially if you consider that we would have front-loaded it.

 

[Knave]

I think it's been well established that this deal was a losing one for the Sens in the long-term no matter what Brassard does for this team. In 3 years we'll have a 32 year old UFA and the Rangers will have a 26 year old Zibanejad just entering his prime. I don't know how anyone could claim that this trade makes us better in the future.

The only redeeming quality this deal had was that Brassard could be significantly better than Zibanejad in the short-term. If he's about the same quality of player, or god forbid even worse than Zibanejad over the next 3 years, this deal is just laughably bad. The kind of deal you look back on and wonder what the hell the GM was thinking.

Of course I have called the trade a disaster since it happened, and I even thought that Brassard would be the better player when I made that claim. If Zibanejad continues to out-perform Brassard, this deal will be one of the worst in Sens history.

I agree this is definitely a blunder up there with the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

The Curse of the Zibby

 

[Hale The Villain]

And Colin White and Logan Brown are 4, and 5 years younger than Zibanejad respectively. Organizational center depth is quite a beautiful thing.

If the time ever came that Brown and White (the latter of whom could easily play as a RW) forced the organization's hand to trade Zibanejad, at that point we could have dealt him to a different organization in exchange for a top 6 winger or top 4 defenseman.

Instead in 3 years we'll probably let Brassard walk (or maybe even Turris in 2 years) in order to make room for Brown and White, and the organization will continue to have holes in other places in the lineup.

 

[MarkStone]

I agree this is definitely a blunder up there with the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

The Curse of the Zibby

The curse of the turntable

 

[aragorn]

I'm okay with the deal, obviously they are different players who bring a different skill set & IMO Ottawa needed more of what Brassard brings then what Ziggy brings. Brassard is a better puck distributor & both Ryan & Smith need someone to get them the puck in scoring positions & he does that well.

Regardless of which one eventually ends up with more pts isn't going to be as important as to which one makes his line & team better which results in wins. Brassard just seems to make the players around him better which makes our team better & IMO that's a win for Ottawa regardless of how good Zibanejad is for the Rangers. If it's a better fit for both teams then great, it ends up being a good hockey trade for both teams & both teams win.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

If the time ever came that Brown and White (the latter of whom could easily play as a RW) forced the organization's hand to trade Zibanejad, at that point we could have dealt him to a different organization in exchange for a top 6 winger or top 4 defenseman.

Instead in 3 years we'll probably let Brassard walk (or maybe even Turris in 2 years) in order to make room for Brown and White, and the organization will continue to have holes in other places in the lineup.

It's like you actually want the worst scenarios to happen so that you can be right about the Zibby trade. Hmm.

Get over it and enjoy Brassard's great chemistry with the team and the instant boost in energy/hustle he injected in the top-6.

 

[thinkwild]

I cant see that its established this trade is a long term loser for us at all. Brassard is exactly what our GM and Coach want as a role for this team, right now, at the right price and right term. Mika was not identified as being worth signing as an RFA as a long term part of the core. He had nt proved he will be, it was hoped he would develop that way. He may or may not.

I cant agree that just because Mika is younger , it therefore means we lost the trade and that the team as a whole will be worse off in the long term. He could end up hamstringing our ability to improve. Or could peak when we rebuild. Or could be easily replaced cheaper. This is Dorion's first step in remaking the team and it will have to be judged as a whole over time.

And as for worst trade, id just say dont forget Christer Olsson. Worst trade seems some pretty over the top hyperbole just because of their ages 5 years from now.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

I'm okay with the deal, obviously they are different players who bring a different skill set & IMO Ottawa needed more of what Brassard brings then what Ziggy brings. Brassard is a better puck distributor & both Ryan & Smith need someone to get them the puck in scoring positions & he does that well.

Regardless of which one eventually ends up with more pts isn't going to be as important as to which one makes his line & team better which results in wins. Brassard just seems to make the players around him better which makes our team better & IMO that's a win for Ottawa regardless of how good Zibanejad is for the Rangers. If it's a better fit for both teams then great, it ends up being a good hockey trade for both teams & both teams win.

Very well put.


I can't believe I just wrote that.

 

[Caeldan]

As DJ Zbad is now spinning in MSG, discussion here is no longer necessary.