Has this really been a down season for Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad?

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Mika Zibanejad has heard the talk, or read it at the very least. You could probably tell by the way he reacted after scoring against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, his first five-on-five goal since Dec. 23 and just his seventh at five-on-five all season. To compare, he had 16 goals at five-on-five last season.

The reaction was the epitome of relief. Just a few hours before that goal, Zibanejad was trying to describe the odd feeling he’s had about his production this season: His goal and point totals are down from his past two years but the Rangers haven’t spent a second of this season out of first place in the Metro Division.

“It’s not like I’m sitting on 20 points,” Zibanejad told The Athletic. “If it was up to me I would be at 40 goals by now and I wouldn’t have a single power-play goal and I’d be plus-70. I’m serious. That’s what it would be if I could have it that way.

“But I guess the question for me right now is not talking so much about what it could have been this year. I can’t change that. So for me, it’s time to focus on trying to prepare for the playoffs and playing the right way.”

Zibanejad’s ice time has dropped from the last two seasons, not necessarily because of the dip in his offense but primarily because Vincent Trocheck has been centering the team’s most effective line. Like Zibanejad, Trocheck kills penalties and plays on the top power-play unit; the difference for Peter Laviolette is that Zibanejad has been used as a matchup center far more this season.

And Zibanejad takes pride in his defense. Yes, his five-on-five goals are down and his partnership with Chris Kreider has required a trade deadline addition on the right side for a third consecutive year. But Zibanejad has been on the ice for only 29 goals against this season. Of the 133 NHL forwards who have played at least 800 five-on-five minutes, only 13 have been on the ice for fewer goals.

The table below shows his five-on-five data this season and the last two, courtesy of Clear Sight Hockey.

“He’s still the guy you lean on,” said Kreider, whose eyes lit up when given the chance to discuss his close friend’s season and perceived lack of success. “He’s incredibly responsible. Sometimes I give him a hard time because I tell him he’s cheating for defense, but he’s a coach’s dream. And every time on the power play he’s got a guy sitting in his shorts when he goes to line up a shot. We don’t give up a lot (at even strength) and he doesn’t get much space out there. There aren’t many guys who can get around the ice like he does.”

One of the first things Laviolette said after the Rangers acquired Alex Wennberg from Seattle last week was that having an experienced third-line center could offer more chances for Zibanejad to start shifts up the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, Zibanejad and Kreider have started just half of their shifts off faceoffs in the offensive zone; the Artemi Panarin, Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière line has started 75 percent of their shifts off faceoffs in the offensive zone.

So Zibanejad could be freed up to start up the ice and stay there. Jack Roslovic is on track to be the ninth different forward to get a regular turn with Zibanejad and Kreider in the last three seasons. He may not be the elite scorer that the duo had last season in Vladimir Tarasenko, or the shoot-first type like Frank Vatrano two years ago.

But at least Zibanejad knows who’s going to be there the rest of the way.

“You can’t prepare for it, obviously,” Zibanejad said. “I guess it’s a good thing we’ve got a lot of games coming up because I think games are better than practices in terms of building chemistry. You can just go play and try to analyze it after, you have some game material to go through with a new linemate.”

Zibanejad’s streaky scoring is well-known in his eight years as a Ranger. Not just the incredible run of 17 goals in the 13 games prior to the pandemic shutdown in 2019-20, but his ridiculous burst in the final two games against the Penguins in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. He had focused a bit too much on trying to keep Sidney Crosby in check as the Rangers went down 3-1 in the series; he had 3-4-7 in the last two games to spark the Rangers to a comeback win.

Whether it’s because of a more defensive focus or some other factors, Zibanejad’s five-on-five chance generation is down this season. The Rangers as a team are not as offense-forward at even strength as they were last season — according to Clear Sight Hockey, the Rangers are 13th in five-on-five expected goals this year compared to sixth last season.

But Zibanejad clearly knows what’s up. “There’s expectations obviously,” he said. “I haven’t scored as much five-on-five as in the past, but if you’re talking goals for, goals against, I don’t think it’s that bad … I honestly don’t know to respond to that sometimes. If I knew what the solution was, I’d do it. Obviously I want to be more productive. We’re also winning games, so …”

Zibanejad is a football guy — the non-American kind, not a surprise given his wife, Irma Helin, played professionally in their native Sweden. He mentioned Olivier Giroud, the French international striker. France won the 2018 World Cup and Giroud, one of the premier goal scorers in the world at the time, didn’t score in the tournament.

“If we had a chance to win a Stanley Cup and I don’t score another goal this season,” he said, “that’s a pretty easy choice to make.”

(Photo: Kyle Ross / USA Today)