Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesMika Zibanejad is a player who’s being deeply undervalued going into the 2025-26 season.
Due to his age and decrease in production last season, the widespread speculation around Zibanejad is that he’ll continue to decline, but that may not necessarily be the case.
In what many consider a “down year” for Zibanejad, he still recorded 20 goals, 42 assists, and 62 points in 82 games, which in the grand scheme of things, is not bad at all.
The 32-year-old forward will also still likely play a prominent role for the New York Rangers.
We should see Zibanejad as a top-six forward playing on a line with J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle, two players who can help increase Zibanejad’s point totals.
Unless Mike Sullivan makes a drastic change, Zibanejad will also serve a role on the team’s first power play unit.
Obviously, last season’s performance from Zibanejad was concerning, but the Rangers struggled collectively, and it was certainly not solely on Zibanejad, as most players saw a dip in their stats from the 2023-24 campaign.
All of the cards are pointing toward the veteran forward having a productive statistical season, given his role and already known skillsets.