When the New York Rangers acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31, it was a move not only to help the team this season, but for years to come. So far, he has been everything the team could hope for and more with 14 points in 11 games since the deal. However, it is not only the impact he has had on the team but also the players surrounding him, in particular, on Mika Zibanejad. Before the trade, Zibanejad was playing some of — if not the worst — hockey of his entire career with no signs of improvement. Having been playing on a line with Miller, he has seen a major turnaround in his game, and it could not have come at a better time for the Rangers.
Zibanejad of the Top Players in the League Since Feb. 1
Since Miller’s first game back with the team on Feb. 1, he has been centering a line with Zibanejad on the wing and those two have become a fantastic duo. Zibanejad has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 11 games played, which up until yesterday was the most points by a player in the entire league since the trade. He looks like a more confident player and it seems as if Miller’s play style is starting to rub off on Zibanejad as he is forechecking more and being more physical. He is up to 13 goals and 44 points in 61 games played this season and while you want to see those numbers continue to rise, this has been Zibanejad’s best stretch of the season and it needs to continue.
While there were so many stories about the relationship between Miller and Canucks’ Swedish star Elias Pettersson, how they did not get along, and how that was a major reason why they traded Miller, he seems to have found a new —and so far better —relationship with the Rangers’ Swedish star in Zibanejad. Maybe it’s because they played together for a few seasons back when Miller was on the team from 2016-2018, but it seems they have found a great connection at a critical time of the season with the Rangers fighting for their playoff lives.
Rangers Are Fighting For Playoff Positioning
As of this writing, the Rangers currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, tied with the Detroit Red Wings, but they have the edge over them due to having more regulation wins than the Red Wings. And don’t look now, but they are also only six points behind the struggling New Jersey Devils for third place in the Metropolitan Division with two games in hand. The Rangers are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games while the Devils are 4-6-0 and have lost Jack Hughes to an injury for an undisclosed amount of time. If these two teams continue on their respective trends, they could find themselves switching spots in the standings and that is why it is so important for a player like Zibanejad to continue playing at the high level he has been recently.
With so many teams in the thick of the wild-card race and with the teams in front of them struggling at the moment, now is the time for the Rangers to strike and try to make a push to get a divisional playoff spot, or at least stay in a wild card spot for the rest of the season. Their top players, led by Zibanejad and Miller, are starting to play better and if this team can pull together some big wins against some tough upcoming opponents, it go a long way to securing a playoff spot after a rollercoaster season.
Do The Rangers Keep Zibanejad at Wing Beyond This Season?
One of the biggest questions when the Rangers acquired Miller was how would it impact Zibanejad and his play. Well, so far so good; this move to the wing has been a career saver for him. Now, the question is will general manager Chris Drury look to still trade Zibanejad in the offseason or will they decide to keep him on the wing going into next season and look for a third-line center to play behind Miller and Vincent Trocheck? If Zibanejad continues his great play, he can still be a key player as they try to win a Stanley Cup. However, he will be 32 by the time this season is over and will still be under contract until the 2029-30 season at an $8.5 million annual cap hit. It still might be more beneficial to move on from him as Drury might be able to get more for him now that he is playing better.
Still, it would be up to Zibanejad if he even would move at all since he has a full no-move clause in his contract until the final year of the deal. One potential move that could impact his decision is what they decide to do with Chris Kreider. He could be gone as soon as the March 7 trade deadline and if he isn’t, he is likely to be moved this offseason. If the Rangers do decide to move on from Zibanejad’s best friend, could that be enough to convince him to move as well? Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see what they decide to do with him beyond this season.
For now, Zibanejad is going to be a key player heading down the stretch and into the playoffs if they make it. He has heated up at the right time and his partnership with Miller has revitalized him and has him playing on a competitive level he didn’t have earlier this season. Now is the perfect time for him to be heating up as the Rangers are going to need all the help they can get as they try to push for a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference race.
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