The New York Rangers were shocked in the first round of the 2023 Playoffs when they were eliminated by the New Jersey Devils in seven games. After winning and dominating the first two games, the entire Rangers team completely fell apart. One player, in particular, was Mika Zibanejad. He scored only one goal in the series and was a non-factor for most of the games. Going into the 2023-24 season, the Rangers are going to need him to find his game again and remain the elite number-one center he has been over the past few seasons.
Continued Power-Play Production
Zibanejad was a monster on the power play last season. He scored 20 goals on the man advantage, which tied him for third in the league with Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the team leader in power-play goals, taking that spot from Chris Kreider who had 26 during the 2021-22 season. With the power-play units likely to see some changes going into the season, it is unlikely that Zibanejad will be moved from his left-circle position, where he has become one of the most dangerous shooters over the past few seasons.
After Alex Ovechkin, it can be argued that Zibanejad is the second-best player in the league on the power play from the left circle. He has a dangerous one-timer and if he chooses, also has an elite wrist shot that can get past most goalies in the league. If the Rangers want to remain a competitive team, they need the power play to remain elite and their power play runs through Zibanejad.
Improved Even-Strength Play
While Zibanejad is nowhere near a terrible player at even strength, he might become even better with a new coach behind the bench. With Gerard Gallant, the Rangers were not a good team at five-on-five. They were a good team because they had an elite power-play and one of the best goalies in the world bailing them out on most nights. Now, with Peter Laviolette behind the bench, the Rangers are going to have a system to play and it will only help them as they go along during the season.
For the past two seasons under Gallant, the Rangers never had a system or game plan they would use. They would just dump the puck in and see what happens after. For Zibanejad, playing under a new coach and learning a new system is going to help him on both sides of the puck. He is already an elite offensive player and an underrated defensive player. Playing under Laviolette can only help Zibanejad improve his game even more and make him an even better player.
Continued Defensive Growth
For the past few seasons, Zibanejad has gone under the radar as one of the best defensive players in the entire league. While he might not be a Patrice Bergeron, he is still great at playing in his own end and is a reliable penalty-killer. Being the team’s number one center, he faces the toughest players each game and he is able to hold his own. He has continued to develop his defensive game every year since arriving in New York and he has been a penalty-killer for most of his tenure. Going into next season, he is going to have to keep being that great defensive player, and maybe playing under a new system will teach him something he hasn’t learned yet.
It’s no shock that Zibanejad is going to be a key player for the Rangers during the 2023-24 season. He is the team’s best overall player and he should be coming into the season with something to prove. He needs to show that the playoffs were a one-off and that he can be an elite player for the entire season and into next year’s postseason. This is going to be a big year for Zibanejad.
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