Unfair Attacks on Mika Zibanejad Won't Save This Rangers Team

At the start of training camp, Mika Zibanejad spoke with reporters about his hopes for the 2024-2025 season and his mindset after a down year with the Blueshirts. He was asked the usual — how is he going improve his game, how did he feel about last year's Eastern Conference Final exit, and how does he respond to criticism?

"I mean this with the utmost respect: I did not think about any of your quotes, any of your questions, any of those worries during the summer," the center said.

Zibanejad’s play this season has unfortunately not lived up to the expectation of writing last year off as a fluke. With only 21 points in 28 games, he is on pace for an even worse final count this season. His expected goals for per sixty are at a staggering, career-low of 14.38 (via NaturalStatTrick). Where his lack of scoring has previously been made up for by his defensive security, Zibanejad has a plus-minus rating of -14 and 21 goals against while he's been on the ice (via NaturalStatTrick). His disastrous turnovers have often lead to damaging goals against, like the early lead the Chicago Blackhawks took in Monday's embarrassing home game loss.

Something is not clicking with the Rangers’ top-line center, and even if you have a positive outlook on the team’s core players, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore it. Zibanejad has consistently faced criticism playing in New York’s spotlight, but the team’s struggles this season and his specific woes have boiled over into what’s more or less a hate campaign against him. Fans and analysts alike have painted the forward as soft, weak, unfocused, and distracted.