Rangers Finding A Way To Make It Work With Mika Zibanejad And Avoid Noise

With the dust mostly settled, it appears as if Mika Zibanejad will return to the New York Rangers for the 2025-26 season.

Despite having a full no-move clause in his contract, there were still some trade rumors involving Zibanejad. 

However, those rumors have not turned into action and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman emphasized that the Rangers are not looking to move Zibanejad and cause more unnecessary drama at the moment. 

“It’s very clear (the Rangers) are working with Mika Zibanejad,” Friedman said. "(Head coach Mike) Sullivan (went) to meet him. They're trying to figure out a way to make it work, (and) avoid the noise.

“You never know if it’ll continue, but the bottom line is, this season is not starting the way the last two did (with trade rumors and speculation).”

This comes after Friedman also reported that the Rangers had not asked Zibanejad to waive his no-move clause this offseason. 

“Obviously there’s been a lot of news, conjecture, and speculation around him,” Friedman said of Zibanejad. “I poked around and this is what I can tell you, he has not been asked to submit teams or waive (his no-move clause). Remember, he has control over this. He has the no-move clause, nothing could happen without Zibanejad’s control or approval. He has not been asked to submit teams or waive.”

The 32-year-old forward saw a decrease in production this past season as he went from recording 72 points during the 2023-24 season to 62 points. 

Zibanejad’s lackluster year mostly stemmed from a slow start to the season, but he slowly began to find his rhythm, especially when he was put alongside J.T. Miller on the same line. 

It’s unknown if the Rangers’ new head coach Mike Sullivan plans to play Zibanejad at center or the wing. 

While Zibanejad’s natural position is at center down the middle, he thrived on the wing with Miller, so that’s a potential idea worth exploring again. 

It’s also key that Zibanejad is comfortable and confident going into this season. 

He admitted due to all of the noise and scrutiny around both him and the team, he struggled from a mental standpoint, which trickled into his performance on the ice during the 2024-25 season. 

“I feel like mentally what I went through the first few months was probably the toughest I’ve ever been through in my career in a different way… “There was more to it than that,” Zibanejad said about whether his poor mental state stemmed from confidence. “Obviously, the confidence takes a turn. I think if you follow me and see how I play, you can tell what makes me good and when I play free, but I feel like I didn’t do that the first three months.”

Zibanejad and the Rangers get a clean slate now for a turnaround with a lot hanging in the balance moving forward.