The New York Rangers had a very uncharacteristic season last year. After making two of the last three conference finals, the Rangers missed the post season entirely. The Rangers addressed the slide by firing former head coach Peter Laviolette and hiring new bench boss Mike Sullivan. Some fans would also prefer to move on from a couple skaters, including forward Mika Zibanejad, but after an examination of his contract it is clear that isn’t an option.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of news, conjecture, and speculation around him,” 32 Thoughts podcast host Elliotte Friedman said about Zibanejad. “I poked around and this is what I can tell you: he has not been asked to submit teams or waive [his no-move clause]. Remember, he has control over this. He has the no-move clause, nothing could happen without Zibanejad’s control or approval. He has not been asked to submit teams or waive.”
Zibanejad’s current contract is far from team friendly. He is entering the fourth year of an eight year extension signed in 2022. The 32-year-old’s deal is worth $68 million total and $8.5 million annually. But due to clauses in his contract, Zibanejad has complete control over his future with the team.
“The 31-year-old Zibanejad has control over his situation,” wrote The Athletic in January. “His $8.5 million average annual value contract runs through 2029-30, and he has a full no-movement clause until the last year of his deal. That means he has to approve any trade, plus the Rangers cannot put him on waivers.”
Mika Zibanejad Wife Confirms He Isn’t Going Anywhere
For some fans that are holding out hope that the forward may surrender his contract and open himself up to a trade, don’t hold your breath. His wife, Irma Zibanejad, took to a Swedish newspaper to share an offseason testimonial.
“We just had Mika’s new coach [Mike Sullivan] here at our home; he flew over from New York recently,” she said, according to a New York Times translated quote from Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “We also just got our new home in New York. I’m always shocked about how newspapers just spread things without considering the source.”
This quote is in response to growing speculation that the Rangers might be working towards a way to get out of Mika’s contract.
This feels like a reasonable conclusion to the Zibanejad offseason debate.
Zibanejad’s Play Took a Turn
Zibanejad started his career in the NHL in Ottawa at the age of 18. After five years with the Senators, he signed with New York.
Now nine seasons later, the center has 589 points in 649 games, this includes 250 goals and 339 assists. The problem is that last season was his lowest goal total since his first year with the team, when an injury caused him to miss 26 games.
He also finished negative in the +/- category for the first time in five years. But he wasn’t just negative, he posted a -22.
He regressed in nearly every stat possible and it is leaving fans wondering whether his poor play was a by product of a bad season, or if a bad season was a by product of his poor play.
