Player Discussion Mika Zibanejad

[HockeyBasedNYC]

When Mika was an unstoppable force it was almost as if he was bent over at the waist with his spine parallel to the ice.

His forward lean was insane. He would consistently break to the net with speed while easily protecting the puck and throw backhanders into the top shelf.

Thats all but gone at this point. For whatever reason his stride has changed and his all out gait isn’t anything what it used to be. He has trouble separating. And because he isnt lower in his stride that’s all it takes to knock him off the puck.

He can still dish it and has very good awareness but I think mental doubt has creeped into his game big time this year and it’s lead to a lot of silly looking lazy passes and giveaways.

His one time shot was always a bomb but would fluctuate between on net and whiffing completely. I always felt like that was a good indicator of his focus but it’s far from the only thing now

 

[ReddestRum]

When Mika was an unstoppable force it was almost as if he was bent over at the waist with his spine parallel to the ice.

His forward lean was insane. He would consistently break to the net with speed while easily protecting the puck and throw backhanders into the top shelf.

Thats all but gone at this point. For whatever reason his stride has changed and his all out gait isn’t anything what it used to be. He has trouble separating. And because he isnt lower in his stride that’s all it takes to knock him off the puck.

He can still dish it and has very good awareness but I think mental doubt has creeped into his game big time this year and it’s lead to a lot of silly looking lazy passes and giveaways.

His one time shot was always a bomb but would fluctuate between on net and whiffing completely. I always felt like that was a good indicator of his focus but it’s far from the only thing now

Years ago in his five goal game, his One Tee was an ace and that lean you're talking about happens for the OT winner.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Didn't he have warning signs in Ottawa that he wasn't always interested or passionate about playing hockey and had a bad lazy work ethic?

 

[mrmovies779]

Didn't he have warning signs in Ottawa that he wasn't always interested or passionate about playing hockey and had a bad lazy work ethic?

No,that's just something you made up

 

[Siddi]

Didn't he have warning signs in Ottawa that he wasn't always interested or passionate about playing hockey and had a bad lazy work ethic?

Stop making shit up.

 

[RangerLifer]

He got thrown out of a faceoff, but the MSG camera angle didnt show what happened. Mika literally had a look on his face like he shat himself and got helped off the ice and to the locker room. He came back and it was barely mentioned again. I forget what game it was. Buffalo maybe?

Oh, that's right!! I did hear about that. Thanks!

 

[RangerLifer]

Listen, I hope the guy isn’t personally miserable and struggling in some dark place. I know how that can be. But he married a beautiful former pro athlete from his home country, they have a child, he makes insane money and he has had a stable career, moved only once, with more success - both individual and team - than many athletes (in any sport) ever get to enjoy. Does that matter? Apparently not, and I get it… depression or personal issues that cause depression are unique and unpredictable and can happen to anyone, so I get it. But it’s tough to stomach. God’s honest truth is that if he’s really struggling mentally - whether it’s self doubt and performance anxiety, or it’s some kind of personal private troubles - he should enter the player’s assistance program and get help. Keep KK at 3C when Chytil is healthy and let Fil take Z’s spot. Watching his nightly performance at this stage is bad enough, but seeing this sad puppy face coast around the ice and then mumble platitudes about how “we just have to be better” to the press is infuriating.

View attachment 935916

I've been saying he's looking sad for three years now.

Not showing up at optional practices when your game is suffering is not a good sign. It shows he doesn't care that he sucks lately and doesn't want to be on the ice.

 

[SA16]

I've been saying he's looking sad for three years now.

Not showing up at optional practices when your game is suffering is not a good sign. It shows he doesn't care that he sucks lately and doesn't want to be on the ice.

It's an optional practice. They're on the ice for a brief period of time and barely do anything. Many, many players throughout the league don't show up for optional practices. How do you know he's not in the gym, reviewing video with coaches, or doing other things instead?

 

[ReddestRum]

Didn't he have warning signs in Ottawa that he wasn't always interested or passionate about playing hockey and had a bad lazy work ethic?

LOL.

 

[RangersFan1994]

NHL Ottawa Senators player Mika Zibanejad signs with Recording Connection!

Mika Zibanejad, a Swedish-born professional hockey player on the roster for the Ottawa Senators, recently joined Recording Connection's line-up! Turns out

recordingconnection.com

Ottawa Senators, Mika Z. Pursues Dream of Making Music

Mika Zibanejad, born April 18, 1993 is a Swedish professional hockey player. Selected sixth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he currently plays for Canada’s Ottawa Senators. His career highlight so far is scoring the winning goal for Sweden in the 2012 World Junior hockey championship game...

www.webwire.com

https://www.sensnationhockey.com/post/dj-zbad-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-how-the-senators-won-the-mika-zibanejad-trade

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

When Mika was an unstoppable force it was almost as if he was bent over at the waist with his spine parallel to the ice.

His forward lean was insane. He would consistently break to the net with speed while easily protecting the puck and throw backhanders into the top shelf.

Yeah, this is a good point. My recollection of good Mika is him buzzing all over with that pronounced forward lean. Maybe something is going with his back that prevents him from doing this now.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

Years ago in his five goal game, his One Tee was an ace and that lean you're talking about happens for the OT winner.

Thanks for this video. It's good to remember what he was capable of.

 

[Levitate]

I don't think his side hobbies are the issue. Pretty much every player has side hobbies that they spend significant time on.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Years ago in his five goal game, his One Tee was an ace and that lean you're talking about happens for the OT winner.

depressing to watch this

 

[RangersFan1994]

I don't think his side hobbies are the issue. Pretty much every player has side hobbies that they spend significant time on.

If he is really having issues mentally, he should go into the NHLPA program like a man instead of hurting the team. He's doing more harm than good being on the ice

 

[eco's bones]

What's JT Miller's issue? That guy has been a beast the last couple years. A lot more so than Mika anyway. Shit happens. And it's not very likely that any NHL team is going to let out that much about what any given player is going through other than if they're going for alcohol or drug rehab. Psychological stuff can take a person down for a while too. There's really no normative time line. It will be what it will be.

 

[LokiDog]

Just speculating based on what little I know of Mika’s personality and personal life; I don’t mean to suggest any of this is accurate, it’s just a guess at what could be going on with Z.

Mika’s kid is young, around 1.5 years. Early parenthood is tough. Traveling a lot for work is tough. Guilt is tough. Relationships are tough. Who knows. I have empathy. He needs a fresh start though. He won’t find his game here. A fresh start is probably scary for him. It could do wonders for his career, take pressure off him (and by extension family) or a move and uprooting his young family could be an extremely stressful event. Likely both. I think what we’re seeing is a guy who sees the writing on the wall, that at best, he’s going to become a largely maligned 2C begrudgingly kept around and see most of his friends depart, and at worst put his family through an unwanted move while home life is already strained.

Unfortunately, empathy and understanding won’t alleviate any of this for him… and the fans can simultaneously be empathetic and still be correct in assessing that he sucks and is hurting our team. When I went through similar circumstances (regarding a new child and marital stress, etc.) I didn’t get traded… I got let go. It wasn’t malicious. My performance couldn’t be sustained because my life was in shambles outside of work.

Again, not saying this is true for Mika, but as a hypothetical… in business, if your performance gets bad enough, you lose your job. Mika can’t lose his, but he can be forced to move (or I guess bought out, or retire or whatever) and he’s probably dreading all of the possible outcomes equally.

Is his situation unique or is he the first guy to go through stuff like this? No. But he’s always looked like a gentle soul and things like depression are indiscriminate. He always left a bit lacking in terms of real grit and determination, but he still played hard and with confidence and enthusiasm, which elevated his existing skills enough to make him quite effective. Disengaged, he’s simply a net negative. Whatever is going on privately, he’s become increasingly disengaged. The entire fan base is going to resent him eventually, if they don’t already. I’m guilty of it. Whatever is going on with him, it probably blows and he’s going through it mentally. I still want him out of here, pronto, but I’m trying to think of him less disdainfully.

 

[DevilDog99]

It's an optional practice. They're on the ice for a brief period of time and barely do anything. Many, many players throughout the league don't show up for optional practices. How do you know he's not in the gym, reviewing video with coaches, or doing other things instead?

Trust me, he aint in the gym.

Holy shit Batman… zbad is a -13.

Wowwwwwww. No one is even close to as bad as he is on the team.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

I’m actually shocked Mika hasn’t been booed when he touches the puck. Far lesser talented players were booed here, and it mostly wasn’t warranted. Poti, Nedved, Malik, Roszival. I guess Dolan really did price out all the die hards.

 

[94leetch]

Lots of kind hearted takes here.
Fair enough.
Amongst his responsibilities towards the organization he works for is if he can't provide the service he gets paid for then step off the ice and fix the problem. If that can't be done then quit. He's a grown man in the (entertainment) work force.

 

[grachevsceiling]

LokiDog, I wish you would stop blocking me because, despite our disagreement about testosterone earlier (lol), I generally appreciate your takes. And I think your take re Zib and parenthood is potentially spot on. As a dad of a 1.5 year old, I can definitely empathize. As you and others mentioned, it’s not a blanket excuse but it’s a better hypothesis than “he’s a DJ”. I mean what could be sillier. Remember when Henrik played the guitar on Jimmy Fallon?

 

[SnowblindNYR]

LokiDog, I wish you would stop blocking me because, despite our disagreement about testosterone earlier (lol), I generally appreciate your takes. And I think your take re Zib and parenthood is potentially spot on. As a dad of a 1.5 year old, I can definitely empathize. As you and others mentioned, it’s not a blanket excuse but it’s a better hypothesis than “he’s a DJ”. I mean what could be sillier. Remember when Henrik played the guitar on Jimmy Fallon?

The DJ hypothesis is mostly silly because there other players that have outside hobbies and he was a DJ when was dominating. But is it really crazy to think he's a paycheck guy who finds his outside interests more important than hockey. We know people like that or even are people like that. It's probably less likely for a hockey player than an accountant considering how much determination it takes just to get to this level but it's still a possibility.

 

[SA16]

The DJ hypothesis is mostly silly because there other players that have outside hobbies and he was a DJ when was dominating. But is it really crazy to think he's a paycheck guy who finds his outside interests more important than hockey. We know people like that or even are people like that. It's probably less likely for a hockey player than an accountant considering how much determination it takes just to get to this level but it's still a possibility.

Maybe he's actually not DJing enough anymore. When he was great he DJ'd all the time. Now that he has a kid and a family does he have less time to spend doing that? It's possible that hobby helped get him in the right mindset to play hockey. Maybe James Dolan can ask him to help out with his band.

 

[DolansKazoo]

Maybe he's actually not DJing enough anymore. When he was great he DJ'd all the time. Now that he has a kid and a family does he have less time to spend doing that? It's possible that hobby helped get him in the right mindset to play hockey. Maybe James Dolan can ask him to help out with his band.

I'll speak to JD and report back.

 

[Guyute]

Maybe he's actually not DJing enough anymore. When he was great he DJ'd all the time. Now that he has a kid and a family does he have less time to spend doing that? It's possible that hobby helped get him in the right mindset to play hockey. Maybe James Dolan can ask him to help out with his band.

That’s what I said last week. Mika’s best seasons were the same years he released all of his bangers 2018-2020!