The New York Rangers and Chris Drury have pivoted in an unsuspecting way. As NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reports, instead of the Rangers trading away "problems" like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Drury intends to keep him on JT Miller's flank.
The New York Rangers are in a new era, with Mike Sullivan at the helm. They look to move beyond their 5th place finish in the Metropolitan Division in 2025.
And instead of harping on their past woes, they're hoping Mike Sullivan is one piece in the puzzle of fixing the Blueshirts' problems.
One of those has been Mika Zibanejad, who has seen a consistent decline in production. But after the acquisition of JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, it seems he'd find chemistry missing on his BFF and was a regular linemate of Millers.
With all the trade chatter, we'd thought Zibanejad would have to be convinced to waive his full no-movement clause, but he has instead been given another lifeline by the team.
While a 62-point season may seem like a disappointment for Zibanejad, the team feels if he plays on Miller's wing full-time, he could improve and find his game again in the league.
Zibanejad could build chemistry with Miller, considering his former linemate, Chris Kreider, is gone and headed to the West Coast to play for the Anaheim Ducks.
Can Zibanejad build off of his 20-goal, 62-point season to ascend to greater production with Miller as his playmaker?
We can only hope.
Zibanejad has an $8.5 million cap hit and has a full no-movement clause, which makes trading him much more difficult in the NHL.
