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Player Discussion Mika Zibanejad

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RangersFan1994 said:
I think Trocheck is playing hurt. He just doesn't look healthy to me
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Trochek being nearly a PPG player last year is something that probably isn't going to happen again.

We had a lot of things align right last year but still fell short.

Even in the Panthers series being severely outplayed still had a chance to go up 3-1 in OT of G4.

Just hard to shake the feeling that last season was our best shot
 
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Can a contract be voided by the team, if the player doesn't adhere to his side of the deal? (Kinda rhetorical, as long as he physically shows up to practice and games, he's gravy)

There is no trade, there is no buyout to be had.
 
LionsHeart said:
Brutal contract. I don’t even know how you get rid of him outside of a really costly buyout.
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Maybe the Rangers were wrong about that that Brassard to Senators for Mika deal. At least Brassard was a playoff performer and wasn't extremely overpaid for what he did.


Would you make that same Brassard and 2ed for Mika Zibanejad and 7th trade in 2024 with Mika having 5 years left at his current cap hit?
 
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His linemates won't fix what ails him.
The coach doesn't matter.

If this guy cares and he's going through the worst stage of hockey since Covid then he should consider checking in with the Players assistance program and taking 1 to 2 weeks to get mentally sorted out.

If he's checked out and making business decisions like it appears on TV, do everything you can to rid ourselves of his contract. Everything but Perrault is on the table as a kicker. Heck I'd consider eating some salary like the Hertl deal.
 
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Nothing here is happening in a vacuum. If we see it, certainly the Ranger coaching, training, and medical staff see it also. The Rangers have world-class trainers and medical staff. If there were something seriously wrong medically, the Rangers would know. Emotional and psychological issues are trickier but in a team situation, where players are together as much as teams are, that too would be difficult to hide. I don't know what is going on....none of us do. I refuse to believe it is a lack of effort. As for this happening suddenly, well, it began last year, early last year. So it has been an ongoing but worsening crisis. It might be aging, though it happened quicker than with most. It might be something else. None of us know. With all our scientific knowledge, there is simply no way to gauge how players will age, But again...if we are discussing it, certainly Ranger coaching, training, and medical staff are too. As for the team as a whole, I've reached the point where I have lowered my expectations of what I expect to happen this year. MZ is part of it. Whatever the cause, one way or another, we will eventually find out.
 
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Even when he came back from Covid with a down year, he at least was playing decently, despite failing to produce.

Heck, I'd even argue that last year he was good defensively, and at times analytically at 5v5 despite failing to produce at even strength.

The Zib we are seeing this year is definitely not even the same guy as last year. He's playing benchwarmer level, borderline AHL quality hockey right now, with the occasional good play on special teams. He made a single nice pass last night as well 5v5.

But holy moly, the giveaways, the fanned shots, the soft defense, and the boneheaded decisions with the puck are just piling up right now.

He needs to play a simple game offensively. Just watch how Chytil flies forward with the puck and drives to the net. That's the way.
 
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RangersFan1994 said:
Maybe the Rangers were wrong about that that Brassard to Senators for Mika deal. At least Brassard was a playoff performer and wasn't extremely overpaid for what he did.


Would you make that same Brassard and 2ed for Mika Zibanejad and 7th trade in 2024 with Mika having 5 years left at his current cap hit?
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I don't see how you make any comparison here because Zibanejad didn't have that contract. You are now asking would we make a trade for a player making over 8m and not performing for a player who is retired with no cap hit, or min wage playing sheltered minutes at age 37? Ottawa clearly messed up there. There's no way around that just because Zibanejad took off and got paid 2 contracts later.
 
Hire Sather said:
Trochek being nearly a PPG player last year is something that probably isn't going to happen again.

We had a lot of things align right last year but still fell short.

Even in the Panthers series being severely outplayed still had a chance to go up 3-1 in OT of G4.

Just hard to shake the feeling that last season was our best shot
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Also Lav is only “good” in year one. It’s all downhill from here
 
I would take both MZ and CK off the penalty kill. Their minutes need to be reduced so as to maximize their effectiveness during 5X5 play. Not that this is a solution to whatever ails MZ, but if he only has a limited amount of energy to expend, it should be on the PP and 5X5.

Yes, the team might take a short-term hit as both are still good on the PK, but others can be trained to do so. Cuyle is already getting PK time. I would love to see Laf get some PK time, not only because I think he would be good at it but to increase his minutes.
 
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There has to be a demotion for him, plain and simple. The team deserves to play the guys that are producing in prominent roles. It's like he isn't even competing when out there. You can endure a lackadaisical approach if there is production and if there is good expected results, neither are there currently.

Off PP1 and maybe off the PP entirely. Off the top line. He can still PK. At this point he has to earn moving back up the lineup and it's not one good game. Chytil should be getting this time in the top 6.

Lafreniere gets 20 seconds with PP1 and he scores. Mika fans on one timers with an open net.

I know this has been a discussion for all of last season and now this season, but there is no longer an argument for the unit to stay the same.

Hell I'd go as far as pushing him to the 4th line and moving up someone like Edstrom that has played C and can fill a checking role on the 3rd line. If that isn't embarrassing enough, a healthy scratch should be done.

Laviolette needs to send a message that this is not good enough and that it needs to change, record of the team be damned and it doesn't matter how much you make or your tenure on the team. Mika isn't alone in needing to be benched/demoted, he's just the most prominent and highest paid of the bunch.

Put the old lines back together and just play it in this order 5v5:

Panarin-Trocheck-Laf (53.3 GF%, 47.6 xGF%)
Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko (100%! GF%, 62.8 xGF%)
Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith (42.8 GF%, 43.3 xGF%)

Even with Trocheck having a rough start, that 3 man unit is still better than flipping Trocheck and Zibanejad. At least they are on the plus side of actual goals.

If Sweden had more depth at center, I'd think they rescind his offer to play in the 4 Nations tournament. That's how bad he has been.
 
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JimmyG89 said:
There has to be a demotion for him, plain and simple. The team deserves to play the guys that are producing in prominent roles. It's like he isn't even competing when out there. You can endure a lackadaisical approach if there is production and if there is good expected results, neither are there currently.

Off PP1 and maybe off the PP entirely. Off the top line. He can still PK. At this point he has to earn moving back up the lineup and it's not one good game. Chytil should be getting this time in the top 6.

Lafreniere gets 20 seconds with PP1 and he scores. Mika fans on one timers with an open net.

I know this has been a discussion for all of last season and now this season, but there is no longer an argument for the unit to stay the same.

Hell I'd go as far as pushing him to the 4th line and moving up someone like Edstrom that has played C and can fill a checking role on the 3rd line. If that isn't embarrassing enough, a healthy scratch should be done.

Laviolette needs to send a message that this is not good enough and that it needs to change, record of the team be damned and it doesn't matter how much you make or your tenure on the team. Mika isn't alone in needing to be benched/demoted, he's just the most prominent and highest paid of the bunch.

Put the old lines back together and just play it in this order 5v5:

Panarin-Trocheck-Laf (53.3 GF%, 47.6 xGF%)
Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko (100%! GF%, 62.8 xGF%)
Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith (42.8 GF%, 43.3 xGF%)

Even with Trocheck having a rough start, that 3 man unit is still better than flipping Trocheck and Zibanejad. At least they are on the plus side of actual goals.

If Sweden had more depth at center, I'd think they rescind his offer to play in the 4 Nations tournament. That's how bad he has been.
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This.
 
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