Update: Mika Zibanejad is not practicing with the team today. It has been revealed that the centre has been diagnosed with a concussion. He is out indefinitely.
OFFICIAL: #NYR Mika Zibanejad is not on the ice today and is out due to a concussion.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 30, 2017
In light of the news, the Rangers also made a minor trade to improve their centre depth while Zibanejad recovers. The acquired Peter Holland from the Montreal Canadiens for winger Adam Cracknell. Holland is an NHL veteran, but has been in the AHL this season. He has 18 points for the Laval Rocket.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired forward Peter Holland from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Adam Cracknell.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 30, 2017
Below is our story from Tuesday.
The New York Rangers lost number one center Mika Zibanejad to an upper-body injury just before puck drop Tuesday night. Zibanejad has been the Rangers top goal scorer with 11 tallies this season.
Rangers Center Mika Zibanejad Sidelined with Upper Body Injury
The Rangers hit a wall tonight when Zibanejad suddenly left the lineup with an upper body injury. He was slated to play on a line with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich before the Blueshirts were forced to make a change. David Desharnais took his position for the night.
Losing Zibanejad is an immediate crisis for the Rangers. He’s gracefully stepped into Derek Stepan‘s former role this season with sparkling offensive play. Zibanejad has 11 goals and 11 assists for a total of 22 points in 24 games this season. His chemistry on the top line with Kreider and Buchnevich, “the KZB” has yielded the majority of the Rangers offense this year. The three have a combined 52 points this season and counting.
Last year, Zibanejad’s arrival in New York caused quite an uproar with the Blueshirt faithful. He arrived from the Ottawa Senators for playoff favorite, Derick Brassard. Before playing with the Senators full-time, Zibanejad played for Sweden and the Senator’s AHL team, the Binghamton Senators.
However promising Zibanejad’s performance looked for the Rangers, it became stunted due to a broken fibula last November. He ended the season playing 56 games, earning 37 points. Lucky for the Rangers, gambling on his youth and budding talent has paid off greatly. Brassard has 17 points in 22 games with the Senators this year.
If Zibanejad’s injury causes an extended absence, call-ups from the Hartford Wolf Pack would be imminent. Vinni Lettieri would be a solid candidate for his shot at the NHL and as would Filip Chytil. In the meantime, the rest of the Rangers offensive needs to fill in the gaps. The defense did so for Ryan McDonagh‘s absence, there’s no reason the Rangers couldn’t do it for Zibanejad as well.
Zibanejad signed a five-year contract extension with the Rangers this off-season valued at $26.75 million.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
