When Vincent Trocheck went down in Game 1 with an undisclosed injury, the main question of whether or not Zibanejad is a center came fully into focus. Zibanejad returned to the 2C role, a role he might have been forced into had Noah Laba not made the team. Zibanejad has shown that last year was a blip. Zibanejad is a center. Zibanejad is a wing. He’s both, and the Rangers need that flexibility.
When last night’s lines were released, Zibanejad remained at center with JT Miller and Gabe Perreault on his wings. This was likely because Perreault naturally played right winger in Hartford, where Zibanejad goes when he is a winger. So perhaps out of necessity for the lineup, Miller was moved to left wing, a position he played in Vancouver, to ease the transition for everyone. It was a brilliant coaching decision by Mike Sullivan, one that proved Zibanejad is a center, and a good one at that.
Zibanejad currently has five goals and nine points in seventeen games, which is tied for the team lead in goals and goals scored. fourth in points behind Adam Fox (3-10-13), Artemi Panarin (5-7-12) and JT Miller (3-8-11). The difference between Panarin, Miller and Zibanejad is that only one has been a consistent force in all three zones and seen the role of a team leader, and that is Zibanejad. Both Panarin and Miller seemed to start the season a step slower as preseason injury rumors affected their play. Only Zibanejad has been the constant.
Mika Zibanejad is a center or a wing
The key to Zibanejad’s early season success is twofold. First, it gets the proverbial monkey off his back. After last season – where Zibanejad still scored 20 goals and 62 points on that train wreck of a team – it was clear that Zibanejad needed a hot start, and that’s exactly what he gave the Rangers. With the pucks starting to go into the net, it looks like Zibanejad is a center, at least based on how the lines are currently constructed.
Second, and perhaps more important, is that both Zibanejad and Miller have the flexibility to play center or on the wing. Zibanejad is a center and a RW. Miller is a center and a LW. If there is an injury to the wing, any player can move into the lineup and fill the gap. That’s a sign of two players willing to lead by example and still get results on the ice.
Heading into the season, center depth was the biggest question mark for the Rangers. With the emergence of Laba’a and proof that Zibanejad is a center, the Rangers may not need any more help at that position as the season progresses. Now Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan have a chance to take a step back and look for other holes on the roster, like the left defense and some more scoring punches on the third line.
Mika Zibanejad is a center. Mika Zibanejad is also a winger. He can play both positions, which is really the best outcome after many tried to run him out of town this offseason. There are still obvious issues with the roster, but Rangers at least seem to have gotten lucky with their center depth concerns.
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