Rangers Place Mika Zibanejad Firmly On The Trade Block

Rangers Place Mika Zibanejad Firmly On The Trade Block

The Rangers already traded Jacob Trouba and they may not be done. Chris Drury has let teams know that centerman Mika Zibanejad is on the trade block.

Mollie Walker of the New York Post was the first to report the news:

At this point, it doesn’t feel like anyone is safe on the Rangers roster. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and the recently extended Igor Shesterkin. Beyond that, it sure feels like the entire roster is for sale.

The job of a general manager is to figure out why the team is losing and why the team is winning. Prosser laid this out pretty well in his latest piece on the team. Zibanejad is struggling right now. A huge problem the Rangers face right now is the simple fact that Zibanejad isn’t as good as the other number one centers across the league who suit up for Stanley Cup contenders. He’s just not as good as a Barkov, Eichel, MacKinnon, etc.. you know, the guys who have actually won Stanley Cups.

Speaking of Eichel, I still find it strange that the Rangers were never really involved in the bidding for him. It’s already been noted that the Rangers didn’t put Zibanejad on the table and the Flames were actually the team who was somehow more in the mix.

By the way, the Rangers can’t really move on here even if they want to. Zibanejad, 31, has a full move clause so he can literally decline any trade and refuse to be put on waivers. The former first round pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2011 carries an $8.5 million AAV with five years remaining on his deal after this season. Good luck navigating a trade with those barriers. It feels like the Rangers are truly stuck with Zibanejad. It’s about improving the roster around him.

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