In a New York Rangers scrimmage on Sunday, a concerning incident unfolded as star player Mika Zibanejad was involved in an unintentional collision at center ice. The aftermath saw Zibanejad requiring assistance from his teammates to leave the ice, as confirmed by insider sources. Zibanejad had been among several Rangers stars participating in the scrimmage.
Unfortunately, Zibanejad did not return to the scrimmage following the collision. Post-game inquiries revealed that he would be designated as day-to-day due to the injury.
The hope is that this is not a major injury. Reporter Vince Mercolgiano, who had spoken with head coach Peter Laviolette, said that the coach acknowledged the situation, stating, “It just happened, so he’s day-to-day right now.” Zibanejad’s recent impressive season, where he achieved a personal record of 91 points, with 39 goals and 52 assists, underscores his significance to the team. Any absence, regardless of its duration, would undoubtedly pose a significant setback for the Rangers.
As the regular-season opener in Buffalo on October 12th looms just two-and-a-half weeks away, the Rangers find themselves in a race against time to assess and address Zibanejad’s condition, hoping to ensure his availability for the crucial start of the season.
He has discreetly established himself as one of the premier goal-scorers in recent seasons while consistently delivering impressive point production and sound defense. He didn’t have the greatest showing in the 2023 NHL playoffs, so he was coming into this season with something to prove.
Since the 2019-20 season, he has held the 14th position in the league with an impressive tally of 297 points across 276 games. It’s worth noting that these numbers could have been even more substantial if not for injuries and the consecutive season shortenings over the past two years. Let’s hope this latest setback doesn’t add to his total of man-games missed.
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