Last season, the New York Rangers fell short once again in the Eastern Conference Final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion, Florida Panthers. One of the main reasons for this loss was due to the lack of production from their top offensive players, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. For Panarin, he might have fewer eyes on him as he did just have the best season of his career. But, for Zibanejad, all eyes will be on him as last season could be seen as his worst as a Ranger so far in his career.
The 2023-24 season saw Zibanejad’s offensive production take a massive hit. He went from scoring 39 goals and 91 points during the 2022-23 season to just 26 goals and 75 points. His scoring at even strength was a big concern, as he had only 12 the entire season. The 2024-25 season will be a big year for him, as he needs to prove his doubters wrong and get back to playing like the top-line center he used to be.
Needs More Offensive Production
Throughout his time in New York, Zibanejad has quietly been one of the best offensive players and goal scorers in the entire league. Since the 2019-20 season, where he scored a career-high 41 goals, he ranks 16th in the NHL in goals scored with 159. Last season saw his offense take a hit and this season, he needs to return to being one of the best offensive threats in the league. He has scored 25 or more goals in six of his eight seasons as a Ranger and scored 30 or more three times. He is an elite goal scorer and the Rangers need that from him again.
One of the big criticisms of Zibanejad coming out of the playoffs was his lack of goal scoring. He scored only three goals in 16 games and two of those came in one game. It was the first game of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes. That was also the last time he scored in the playoffs. If the Rangers want to get over the hump this season, they need Zibanejad to start scoring more when it matters the most. If he can have a good offensive regular season, maybe he can carry that confidence into the playoffs and become more of an impact player.
Continue His Great Two-Way Play
One of the best parts of Zibanejad’s game is his ability to be a great two-way center. Over the years, he has grown into the Rangers’ best penalty killer and his PK duo with Chris Kreider has been excellent over the past few seasons. They are great at killing the penalty when the puck is in their zone, but they also know when to strike and can score a shorthanded goal if the opportunity arises. They have combined for 18 shorthanded goals since the 2019-20 season and should be considered one of the best penalty-killing duos in the entire league.
Even when he was struggling offensively last season, Zibanejad was still excellent on the defensive side of the puck. He and Vincent Trocheck are a great center duo and if Zibanejad can find his offensive game and still keep his defensive game intact, they could be seen as one of the best one-two punches down the middle in the entire league. He was plus-19 last season and has been a positive plus/minus player in six of his eight seasons with the Rangers. He is their most reliable forward when it comes to defending and hopefully, he can keep it up in 2024-25.
More From Zibanejad and Kreider at Even Strength
Another big criticism of Zibanejad is his lack of scoring at even strength. Both he and his longtime linemate, Kreider, fall into the category. They do most of their goal scoring on the power play. Last season, Zibanejad had 12 goals at even strength and Kreider, who scored 39 goals, had 19. If the Rangers want to go further in the playoffs, they need more from this duo at even strength. Both of them were invisible in the series against the Panthers. Zibanejad had zero goals and Kreider had one, but it was short handed. Neither of them scored at even strength and that is a massive issue that needs to be addressed this season.
Zibanejad is entering his ninth season as a Ranger and if all goes well in his career, he will be here until 2030 when his contract expires. If he wants to prove to his doubters that he is still an elite player, he needs to come out this season with a chip on his shoulder and prove that he is still one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. He needs to prove that he can still score and even better, show that he can score in the playoffs. He will be the player to watch for the Rangers as 2024-25 gets underway.
