Mika Zibanejad

[RiverbottomChuck]

no effort down the whole lineup

 

[DamonDRW]

Ziba is not the problem. He is what he has always been, a low tier 1C. The actual problem is that your 120 pts regular season player doesn't show up again.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Zibananajad is one of the most overrated players in the league. He’s more of a #2C at this point of his career.

 

[irishlaxburger2]

He feeds on lesser matchups and power plays and wilts against legit matchups. It's who he's always been. Just getting more pronounced as he gets older now.

Extremely well said. He’s done this the last 3 playoffs for the Rangers.

Ziba is not the problem. He is what he has always been, a low tier 1C. The actual problem is that your 120 pts regular season player doesn't show up again.

You can get by with a winger not showing up for a stretch because they ultimately don’t impact the game as much as a 1C. The Rangers’ 50 goal scorer (Graves) was a complete no show in the final two rounds of the 94 playoffs.

You can’t have a 1C that goes 10+ games without scoring and also happens to get absolutely caved in his own zone on almost every shift on top of it. No team is winning a Cup like that. Name one that has.

 

[Whoot Whoot]

What’s the science behind disappearing acts we’ve seen like a half dozen this playoffs from top stars

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Should've made the Kakko+ offer for Eichel when he was being shopped and then flip Zibanejad right after so you wouldn't have to deal with his contract + antics in the playoffs which he showed as a Ranger before that year + recoup the pieces lost in an Eichel trade

 

[Pablo El Perro]

He's playing better than the regular season this year. With Trocheck stepping up he's the 2C.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

What’s the science behind disappearing acts we’ve seen like a half dozen this playoffs from top stars

Playoffs are hard.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

What’s the science behind disappearing acts we’ve seen like a half dozen this playoffs from top stars

Some of it probably has to do with games getting tighter, some of it has to do with prison rules defense being played since we know there's a different rule book from regular season to playoffs (whether you agree with it or not). I don't think guys just fold under the pressure, the styles of games needed for success in the regular season and playoffs are vastly different

 

[Grifter3511]

Some of it probably has to do with games getting tighter, some of it has to do with prison rules defense being played since we know there's a different rule book from regular season to playoffs (whether you agree with it or not). I don't think guys just fold under the pressure, the styles of games needed for success in the regular season and playoffs are vastly different

Was gonna say something similar. The game has gotten softer than ever, but there is still a pretty big difference between how players check and how refs ref between playoffs and regular season. Some players aren't made for it.

 

[chaser17]

PP merchant?

 

[Grifter3511]

PP merchant?

2 points tonight with neither on the power play (although second one was goalie pulled).

 

[tiburon12]

Zibananajad is one of the most overrated players in the league. He’s more of a #2C at this point of his career.

He is and never was a cup-winning #1 C caliber guy, which isn't a knock but just the reality. If the rangers had that and Mika was the #2, they'd be golden.

 

[SympathyForTheDevils]

What’s the science behind disappearing acts we’ve seen like a half dozen this playoffs from top stars

Not much science in it. It's the playoffs; scoring against top teams is tough. Every offensive star will have bad games and bad stretches. Teams that are top-heavy and rely on a handful of players will go down once they invariably hit one of those stretches, at which point said stars will get most of the blame for what is essentially a roster construction problem. Teams that get contributions from their bottom 6 and their D will move on, and suddenly everyone will forget that their star forward just had a 5-game pointless stretch, and said forward will be qualified as being "clutch" regardless.

And then the playoffs will end, and we will all forget that lesson about depth and start hyperfocusing on stars again. Because we're a bunch of idiots conditioned by sports media to buy "hero" narratives where individuals carry teams on their back to victory.

All this to say: Mika Zibanejad is fine. He's a perfectly good 1B center playing with one good winger, being matched up against Barkov, and being asked to contribute more offense than he realistically can because the Rangers only have 6 forwards that can do anything positive in this series. And when the Rangers lose, he's going to unfairly get a large of the blame, when the real problem is that the Rangers lack depth at forward and their Dmen struggle to get the puck out of the zone.

 

[Panthers Propaganda]

Buttery soft, belongs in the Yoga studio or your towns newest underground tapas bar.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I mean, if you didn't see Barkov eating Zibs lunch in this series coming I wonder what the hell you've been watching the last 2-3 years.

Probably doesn't help that Panarin has dropped off the face of the Earth.

 

[DamonDRW]

Extremely well said. He’s done this the last 3 playoffs for the Rangers.


You can get by with a winger not showing up for a stretch because they ultimately don’t impact the game as much as a 1C. The Rangers’ 50 goal scorer (Graves) was a complete no show in the final two rounds of the 94 playoffs.

You can’t have a 1C that goes 10+ games without scoring and also happens to get absolutely caved in his own zone on almost every shift on top of it. No team is winning a Cup like that. Name one that has.

I actually agree with you.

Still you can't realistically expect Ziba outperforming Barkov. However, Panarin had to compensate for that making 2nd line match-ups a headache for Florida. He us not doing this and it is not excusable this time.

 

[albator71]

He's not a guy who should be a #1 C on any cup hopeful.

Isn't Trocheck your #1C?

 

[LGBlues]

Tonight should have been his 3rd embellishment penalty these playoffs - did not realize he was like that.

 

[pelderhostiga]

Funny how many people don't realize that Trocheck has been Rangers' 1C the whole year playtime and points wise. And while I do agree that better C's are needed for the cup, the only team in recent history that reached Stanley Cup Finals with even worse C's was the Rangers itself with Stepan and Brassard as #1C and #2C.

 

[aylib]

He's extremely streaky and he's always switched back and forth between prime Lindros and not-prime Stefan.

Like, that's Mika in a nutshell.

Prime Lindros?

 

[DamonDRW]

Prime Lindros?

I would take that stake even higher - prime Gretzky!

 

[irishlaxburger2]

Funny how many people don't realize that Trocheck has been Rangers' 1C the whole year playtime and points wise. And while I do agree that better C's are needed for the cup, the only team in recent history that reached Stanley Cup Finals with even worse C's was the Rangers itself with Stepan and Brassard as #1C and #2C.

Brassard was the 3C in 2014. Brad Richards was the 2C. But you’re right nonetheless. Derek Stepan isn’t a 1C that’s going to win a Cup.

Also, Trocheck is not used like our 1C, nor is he paid like it. Case in point, who started in overtime for game 4? Who has started every game of the series? Who has Laviolette decided to match up against the Barkov line at home? Maybe Mika *shouldn’t* be the 1C, but he’s certainly used that way.

I’d also contend Trocheck isn’t a Cup winning 1C. I absolutely love the player but he’s the ideal 2C on a great team.

 

[ColbyChaos]

What happened to Mika? Didn’t follow the Rangers too closely in the regular season, he looks like a complete shell of his former self.

He’s made a ton of bonehead decisions with the puck this series. Rangers will need this guy to step up if they want to beat the Panthers. He’s ppg so far but -1. Am I out to lunch here, or has he been a disappointment for the Rangers so far? (This playoffs)

Mid and overrated by rags fans. Not a good #1C for a team with cup aspirations (that said Panarin is a massive dud as well in the post season)

 

[DevilDog99]

As a Rangers fan I am embarrassed to call this thing part of my team. Soft and disengaged- you can’t win a cup with a guy like that unless you have ALOT of other pieces. You win in spite of that guy.

He is an embarrassment to NYC sports.