When the New York Rangers traded Derick Brassard to the Ottawa Senators for Mika Zibanejad back during the 2016 offseason, many people did not know what to think.
In Brassard, the Blueshirts had a player that produced (163 points in three seasons), came up big in the playoffs, was consistent, and was well-liked by his teammates and the fans. Simply put, the trade looked questionable at best.
Fast forward to now, and the trade is looked at as an absolute steal by the Blueshirts. Zibanejad, 29, has done everything and more for his team, while Brassard has bounced around in the league.
For starters, Zibanejad has been a point-producing machine for the Blueshirts. Let’s take a look at some of his statistics since joining the Rangers:
- 2016-17: 37 points in 56 games on 14 goals and 23 assists
- 2017-18: 47 points in 72 games on 27 goals and 20 assists
- 2018-19: 74 points in 82 games on 30 goals and 44 assists
- 2019-20: 75 points in 57 games on 41 goals and 34 assists
- 2020-21: 50 points in 56 games on 24 goals and 26 assists
- 2021-22: 81 points in 81 games on 29 goals and 52 assists
He has also been one of the team’s best players this season. As of this writing (Saturday, January 14), Zibanejad is second on the team with 45 points on 19 goals and 26 assists.
Zibanejad also leads the team in power play points (20), shots on goal (156), and he leads forwards in time on the ice as he averages 20:59 minutes per game. Basically put, he does it all for this team when it comes to offense.
He also had one of the franchise’s most outstanding offensive performances. Back on March 5, 2020, Zibanejad scored five goals, including the overtime winner, to beat the Washington Capitals by a score of 6-5 to give the Rangers a crucial two points at that time. To say that it was an unbelievable night for Zibanejad would be a huge understatement.
ItPerhapshat particular performance by Zibanejad made fans forget about Brassard. It certainly got them to see just what an incredible player he is.
Zibanejad is also a leader. He is one of the team’s assistant captains and has been for a few seasons.
He is someone who lets his play do the talking. Sure, he’s a confident guy, but he does not talk about it and simply goes out on the ice and performs every night.
There are a lot of young guys on this hockey club, and because of how hard he works every single day, the team’s younger players notice it and try to emulate what Zibanejad does consistently. He may not be the team’s captain, but he no doubt bleeds Broadway blue, and he always looks out for the name on the front of the jersey rather than the one on the back.
What is great for the Rangers is that back on October 10, 2021, they locked up Zibanejad to an eight-year contract worth $68 million. He has many years left with the Blueshirts while also having time to help lead this team to their first Stanley Cup since 1994.
Zibanejad is both an elite NHL scorer and a natural leader. He has done it all for the Rangers, and with him locked up for the next several seasons, he will likely do even better things for this franchise.
