Player Discussion Mika Zibanejad: Part II

[YoSoyLalo]

Are there posters here who have been higher on Zibanejad than you and I? I don't think so.

Ya we’ve been the dude’s hype machine. Nice to be right

Lot of people were on the Mika is really good bandwagon, but I don’t think most considered him a potential game breaker/ice tilting level talent. Well....he is.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Best value contract in the league outside of MacKinnon

Slavin's contract is up there

 

[Crease]

Just remarkable how much he's grown as a hockey player in two years. We're watching a player put it all together, and for the Rangers.

 

[Machinehead]

Slavin's contract is up there

The Hurricanes are an entire organization dedicated to value contracts.

 

[Leetch3]

The Hurricanes are an entire organization dedicated to value contracts.

and missing the playoffs most years

 

[Machinehead]

and missing the playoffs most years

That's changing soon and for awhile

 

[HerculePoirot]

Has this been posted yet? 3 language interview with Zibanejad, starting with English, a little Finnish, and ending with Swedish.

 

[Siddi]

Are there posters here who have been higher on Zibanejad than you and I? I don't think so.

Ya we’ve been the dude’s hype machine. Nice to be right

Lot of people were on the Mika is really good bandwagon, but I don’t think most considered him a potential game breaker/ice tilting level talent. Well....he is.

Hello! Over here

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Persians would gladly claim NYRs MVP and BPA Mika Zibanejad as their own ... if they knew that hockey exists, that is.

 

[Rongomania]

Ya we’ve been the dude’s hype machine. Nice to be right

Lot of people were on the Mika is really good bandwagon, but I don’t think most considered him a potential game breaker/ice tilting level talent. Well....he is.

I was so excited when we got him, I always saw that potential.

He's going completely next level on this team though. It's fantastic to see Mika take charge and play like the f***in' stud he is.

#gomeztradetree

 

[ThirdEye]

He's almost twice the player he was when we got him. Think the biggest change has been his confidence and just him slowly realizing what he's capable of

The trade is a steal but it wasn't seen as overly lopsided when it was first made. He looked like another high upside player that may never put things together. The Rangers put him into a position to succeed and grow and he ran with it

 

[Edge]

My opinion of Zibanejad when we acquired him after his D+5 season was that he was probably a 1A/1B type center - not unlike the player for whom he was traded. I viewed it as trading the better player at the time for someone who was going to be as good, or a little better down the line.

I felt Zibanejad should be a 60 point center, but could be a 70 point center.

But as he hit 70, it wasn't necessarily with every element falling into place, so that's why I feel 80 or even 90 is possible with the right support system. That's where we find ourselves now, a guy who has a shot to reach that next level.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Hello! Over here

Yeah, me too, damn it.

I was over the moon when the deal was made. I remember being like “we got Zibanejad for Brassard? AND they gave us a 2nd rounder too?!?!?? BWAHAHAHA!”

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I remember people for years getting on the Rangers for trading Gaborik. But we got a solid contributor in Brassard for him who led to Mika.

 

[Edge]

I remember people for years getting on the Rangers for trading Gaborik. But we got a solid contributor in Brassard for him who led to Mika.

We essentially turned a fading elite player into an underachieving player who found his game with us, in turn we traded that player, prior to his decline, for an emerging elite player.

I mean this is a TEXT BOOK example of great asset management.

 

[Zats Muccarello]

Mika Zibanejad is the second player in Rangers history to record eight points through the first two team games in a season, joining Rod Gilbert in 1976-77.

Per NHL Public Relations

 

[Cassano]

i remember all the brassard fanboys claiming we lost the trade bc he scored a few more playoff pts his first year in Ottawa. xD

 

[Sooth]

We essentially turned a fading elite player into an underachieving player who found his game with us, in turn we traded that player, prior to his decline, for an emerging elite player.

I mean this is a TEXT BOOK example of great asset management.

While yes, this is the best example of maximizing the assets, I still hope that we can hold on to Ziba and utilizing also his next contract in terms of him being a big part of the core. Would love to see some building of the tradition in the mold of Kreider, Staal and Lundqvist in the future as well.

 

[Good Intentions]

What we are witnessing is beyond the score sheet. The emergence of 93 is more than just skill. Zibanejad is realizing his potential in every respect. Frankly, I had my doubts about him just over 2 years ago. The guy I see now is confident and comfortable in his own skin. That did not seem to be the case when he first arrived. “Late-bloomer” really doesn’t begin to cover his emergence - it’s more of a transformation. He is realizing his potential in every respect - couldn’t be happier for him, and us for that matter. He is the heart of everything to follow.

 

[Edge]

While yes, this is the best example of maximizing the assets, I still hope that we can hold on to Ziba and utilizing also his next contract in terms of him being a big part of the core. Would love to see some building of the tradition in the mold of Kreider, Staal and Lundqvist in the future as well.

That the challenge for Zibanejad, and it’s a few years down the road, is having his apex overlap, at least somewhat, with the next generation of talents.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

First Ranger to score a goal in all 3 situations since Derek Stepan in 2014

 

[Ghost of jas]

What we are witnessing is beyond the score sheet. The emergence of 93 is more than just skill. Zibanejad is realizing his potential in every respect. Frankly, I had my doubts about him just over 2 years ago. The guy I see now is confident and comfortable in his own skin. That did not seem to be the case when he first arrived. “Late-bloomer” really doesn’t begin to cover his emergence - it’s more of a transformation. He is realizing his potential in every respect - couldn’t be happier for him, and us for that matter. He is the heart of everything to follow.

Where I really believe it all started was two years ago in a late season game against the Penguins. Going up against Malkin and Crosby, Mika was the best center on the ice that night and the Rangers won the game in OT. Ever since then, he's had a confidence to fully exploit his talent. You saw a lot of it last year where he was making highly-skilled plays with regularity. Now, he has the players to fully allow his deep wealth of talent emerge.

 

[Edge]

98 points in his last 102 games.

That not just first line. That’s elite.

 

[NYR94]

 

[Ghost of jas]

98 points in his last 102 games.

That not just first line. That’s elite.

There was a train of thought that Mika couldn't be one of your top 2-3 players if the Rangers were hoping to become a Cup contender. I believe he's turning that take on its head.