Rangers center Mika Zibanejad removed from COVID protocol after false positive

The New York Rangers announced before their practice Saturday that center Mika Zibanejad has been placed in COVID protocol.  However, Zibanejad experienced a false positive test and has been removed from COVID protocol, per a team tweet. He’ll be available for Sunday’s game versus the Buffalo Sabres.

The 28-year-old is off to a bit of a quieter start by his standards this season, scoring just four times in 17 games.  But Zibanejad has chipped in with 10 assists to place him fourth in scoring for New York.  Zibanejad once again leads the way in terms of ice time by a forward, logging more than 20 minutes a game.  He’s in the final year of his contract that carries a $5.35M AAV, a considerable bargain compared to the eight-year, $68M extension that he signed last month.

Zibanejad tested positive for the virus prior to training camp for last season, but that was back in January.  If this is indeed another positive test, he would be out for at least the next 10 days, which would cause him to miss the Rangers' next four games at a minimum.  While that wouldn’t be enough time missed to accelerate their shopping for more forward depth, it would still be a tough blow to a team that has gotten off to a solid start this season with a 10-4-3 record.