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Player Discussion Mika Zibanejad

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Bob Richards said:
After we signed Brad Richards to his huge contract he put up a good first season with us at 31 years old.

At 32, the very next season, his play had declined so significantly that basically everyone knew the Rangers were gonna use their final compliance buyout on him.
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Exactly. Some players defy it, but many do not. The drop offs are way more common and expected with a player of that age than a player under 30. So much so, it's not smart to just assume that players will stay good until 35.
 
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Bob Richards said:
After we signed Brad Richards to his huge contract he put up a good first season with us at 31 years old.

At 32, the very next season, his play had declined so significantly that basically everyone knew the Rangers were gonna use their final compliance buyout on him.
Click to expand...
Speed was always gonna catch up to Richards at some point as he was barely fast enough in his prime, same with Stepan, Taveres etc.
 
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mas0764 said:
Exactly. Some players defy it, but many do not. The drop offs are way more common and expected with a player of that age than a player under 30. So much so, it's not smart to just assume that players will stay good until 35.
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Especially nowadays with kids entering the league faster with more skills and ready to play. Shouldn't go past low 30s in player management in today's game. But of course the NHLPA will grievance.
 
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Bob Richards said:
After we signed Brad Richards to his huge contract he put up a good first season with us at 31 years old.

At 32, the very next season, his play had declined so significantly that basically everyone knew the Rangers were gonna use their final compliance buyout on him.
Click to expand...

A bit revisionist here as Richards play was horrible and got him scratched in 2012-13 playoffs by torts against Boston. he came back in 13-14 and was the de facto captain for a team that went to the Finals, and he played great through the entire playoff run. The buyout was an inevitability but Beaver Brad has a seat at my table for ever for how he carried himself in a tough situation (what was Trouba's excuse again?)

P.S., Richards was also a big contributor on the Blackhawks Cup team in 2015 in a depth role.
 
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I'm not expecting some return to previous form for Mika given his age so there's 3 hopes:

1. His play improves to the point where he can be serviceable albeit not a #1 center
2. Things deteriorate play wise even further and he just decides he has to get out of NY and waives his NMC voluntarily
3. Jim Dolan decides he wants to get hands on in a CBA negotiation for once and implores that compliance buyouts be part of the next agreement
 
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Stick so long he's going to elbow somebody in the face just shooting the puck. Averaging 2 shots a game is just not good enough.
 
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Bob Richards said:
After we signed Brad Richards to his huge contract he put up a good first season with us at 31 years old.

At 32, the very next season, his play had declined so significantly that basically everyone knew the Rangers were gonna use their final compliance buyout on him.
Click to expand...
No relation, right?
 
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Gotta get this guy off the team. I see a lot of talk about changing the culture of the team, to me that starts with Mika. He's supposed to be the teams #1 center, he's supposed to set the tone for the rest of the lineup and he's supposed to be the guy the rest of the lineup is constructed around. He's never been that guy and he's never played in a way that would pull the rangers into the fight. Signing him was always going to turn out terribly in the end and it's far worse than that because of how quickly he's declined.
 
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If he's struggling mentally then I absolutely feel for the guy. But if that's the case it's far beyond the point for him to take some time away. It's far more common in the NHL nowadays. Take a leave and get your head right.
 
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He's a VERY sensitive man! Do we want a sensitive man leading us to battle against ruthless motherless men like M Kaychuk?

While Barkov and Kaychuk are giving great speeches to rally and focus their teams, we will have our 1C muttering to himself, "don't listen to the voices, their opinions don't matter, if we lose, I can go home and put on my $5000 headset and just drown out what people are saying, 20 more minutes before this is over, get through it mika."

Very sad. This is professional sports, you win and lose with personalities and we have duds! Zibanejad and Kreider weaving scarves in the intermission and reciting poems on the bench. Time to move on!
 
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TGWL said:
View attachment 942862
Stick so long he's going to elbow somebody in the face just shooting the puck. Averaging 2 shots a game is just not good enough.
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I've said it a few times that he needs to use a shorter stick. He can't control the puck.

In past years, he's had spurts where he struggled with timing his one-timers and handling the puck, but he always worked himself out of it. Since last year, he has struggled, and it has only gotten worse. I don't know how he and the coaches don't see it.
 
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Tob said:
He's a VERY sensitive man! Do we want a sensitive man leading us to battle against ruthless motherless men like M Kaychuk?

While Barkov and Kaychuk are giving great speeches to rally and focus their teams, we will have our 1C muttering to himself, "don't listen to the voices, their opinions don't matter, if we lose, I can go home and put on my $5000 headset and just drown out what people are saying, 20 more minutes before this is over, get through it mika."
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Trouba and Mika as team leaders is (probably) the reason this team has wilted ever since the idea of anyone being traded came up.

Obviously I'm not in the room but from the outside looking in I don't understand how the hell Trouba could be a leader, this is even going back to Winnipeg.

He is a good fit in California for sure.
 
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Hire Sather said:
Trouba and Mika as team leaders is (probably) the reason this team has wilted ever since the idea of anyone being traded came up.

Obviously I'm not in the room but from the outside looking in I don't understand how the hell Trouba could be a leader, this is even going back to Winnipeg.

He is a good fit in California for sure.
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Mayb ivor does deserve 11.5 if he hid how feeble this core is for 2+ years. Gotta find a way to get rid of these players
 
Tob said:
He's a VERY sensitive man! Do we want a sensitive man leading us to battle against ruthless motherless men like M Kaychuk?

While Barkov and Kaychuk are giving great speeches to rally and focus their teams, we will have our 1C muttering to himself, "don't listen to the voices, their opinions don't matter, if we lose, I can go home and put on my $5000 headset and just drown out what people are saying, 20 more minutes before this is over, get through it mika."

Very sad. This is professional sports, you win and lose with personalities and we have duds! Zibanejad and Kreider weaving scarves in the intermission and reciting poems on the bench. Time to move on!
Click to expand...
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
McRanger92 said:
A bit revisionist here as Richards play was horrible and got him scratched in 2012-13 playoffs by torts against Boston. he came back in 13-14 and was the de facto captain for a team that went to the Finals, and he played great through the entire playoff run. The buyout was an inevitability but Beaver Brad has a seat at my table for ever for how he carried himself in a tough situation (what was Trouba's excuse again?)

P.S., Richards was also a big contributor on the Blackhawks Cup team in 2015 in a depth role.
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Was there not a season he missed a lot of then also the lockout or strike ? I thought he missed some time in Dallas ? Anyways.....he made out like a bandit on his Big Apple deal .

duhmetreE said:
how do you expect him to stop skating and reach for the puck/do a fly by, if he doesn't have a long stick?

add another foot to it
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Kreider soon going to need a long one at the side of the net on the PP....he will soon be halfway to the corner.......and we know that won't happen as he wants nothing to do with a corner !!!
 
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