Mika Zibanejad Suffers Broken Fibula, Out 6-8 Weeks
The Rangers 2nd Line Center fell awkwardly into the boards during the overtime period of the Panthers game, and will be out for the foreseeable future.
After scoring a goal during the 3rd Period of the Rangers' 3-2 loss to Florida, Mika Zibanejad finally looked to be coming out of the scoring slump he'd been suffering through as of late. However, his night would end earlier than expected after falling awkwardly into the boards during his first shift of the overtime period. During his postgame press conference, Alain Vigneault revealed the bad news about Zibanejad's status to the media:
#NYR HC Alain Vigneault says center Mika Zibanejad has a broken fibula, is out 6-8 weeks.
— Sean Hartnett (@HartnettHockey) November 21, 2016
If a broken fibula sounds familiar, that's because it is the same injury that Derek Stepan suffered at the onset of training camp back in 2014. Stepan suffered the injury on September 24th, and returned on November 8th after a diagnosis of a 4-6 week recovery. With that in mind, the Rangers will likely have to make it through the rest of the calendar year without Zibanejad in the lineup. Look for Kevin Hayes to get an elevated role in his absence, as he becomes the most likely option to move into the Top 6 and take on Zibanejad's minutes. We wish Zibanejad a speedy recovery, and hope to see him back on the ice as soon as possible once he's healed from his injury.
