It's Time to Talk About Mika Zibanejad

[BrooksBurner]

57 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

So far he’s been a one way player.  He’s paid to bring offense, so until he starts producing we’ll keep bitching. 

He deserves it, so that’s a-ok in my book.  Just saying trading is a bit hyperbolic isn’t it? 17 games in

[Pete]

Complaining about a player with pedigree because of a dip between elite level production peaks is silly. Hard stop. 

 

We're seeing a team finding ways to win in many situations, rather than a team dependant on 5 PP players and 1 goalie. This is a good thing. 

 

But people want to nitpick. 

[BrooksBurner]

4 minutes ago, Pete said:

Complaining about a player with pedigree because of a dip between elite level production peaks is silly. Hard stop. 

 

We're seeing a team finding ways to win in many situations, rather than a team dependant on 5 PP players and 1 goalie. This is a good thing. 

 

But people want to nitpick. 

You’re insinuating you don’t complain about players, but you do. You just don’t like when people complain about specific players even when it’s deserved.

[Pete]

5 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

You’re insinuating you don’t complain about players, but you do. You just don’t like when people complain about specific players even when it’s deserved.

I don't complain about players with pedigree because of a dip between elite level production peaks.

 

So stop your nonsense. 

 

And before you cry Krieder, he's a player with no pedigree but peaks elite level production, so... The opposite.

 

You complain about everything so you don't get to decide when criticism is "deserved". You've already shown you don't grasp context. 

[BrooksBurner]

9 minutes ago, Pete said:

I don't complain about players with pedigree because of a dip between elite level production peaks.

 

So stop your nonsense. 

 

And before you cry Krieder, he's a player with no pedigree but peaks elite level production, so... The opposite.

 

You complain about everything so you don't get to decide when criticism is "deserved". You've already shown you don't grasp context. 

So mad, just because of fair criticism of one of your favorites.

[Pete]

1 minute ago, BrooksBurner said:

So mad, just because of fair criticism of one of your favorites.

Don't worry about how mad I am. You already spend too much time on me. Discuss the players. It's less embarrassing for you because you understand me even less than you do the players or the sport. 

[BrooksBurner]

Happy Thanksgiving Peter 

[Pete]

Glad you dodged a bullet, turkey! 

[Albatrosss]

3 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

He deserves it, so that’s a-ok in my book.  Just saying trading is a bit hyperbolic isn’t it? 17 games in

Im just playing around. 

[jamsim1967]

Zib always seems to start slow.

 

Rangers are winning without him contributing much in the points department, but it's not like he's been invisible. He's still skating hard at both ends of the ice. Points will come, they always do. And probably when the Rangers really need them. Perhaps ... this afternoon

[Bugg]

Mika has been doing everything else very well. PK and defensively, as good as anyone. he hasn't lost a step. Made a tremendous defensive play at the end of the game Wednesday. 

 

Recall when Stepan, not nearly the player Zib is,  lost it; his whole game went into the shitter. That isn't the case here. The offense is gonna come. 

 

My only complaint is the slapper from the circle should not be his go to. Defenders know it's coming. Get a piece, it's going into the 10th row. Goalies know to slide toward him. But even with that, he's scored a mess of goals doing it. 

[Br4d]

It really looks like Zibanejad needs a change of pace and that means a different LW than Kreider.  The RW's are almost irrelevant when Zib and CK are playing together.

 

Promote Cuylle to 1LW, put Kakko back at 1RW and let Zibanejad Center for them.  It'll be a great checking line and unlikely to be less productive offensively than the current line.

 

Put Kreider, Bonino and Wheeler on line 3.  That'll be an OZ start line for now until the Chytil absence is resolved.  Kreider will still be on PP1 and PK1.

 

Sometime soon Laviolette will have to start thinking about replacing Zibanejad with Lafreniere on PP1 but we're probably not there yet.

[Ozzy]

11 points in 17 games and +6.

 

Mika is about to heat up and this thread is fodder for the scrap heap.

 

...Continued today!  Watch!

[RichieNextel305]

Today is the day. Mika loves playing the Flyers and playing in Philly.

[RJWantsTheCup]

Lafraniere over Zibanejad on PP1?  
I’m 99.9% sure that’ll never happen.  
Is that a serious comment?

[Ozzy]

6 hours ago, Ozzy said:

11 points in 17 games and +6.

 

Mika is about to heat up and this thread is fodder for the scrap heap.

 

...Continued today!  Watch!

 

Ahem........

[Br4d]

Hopefully he gets the playoff team monkey off his back tomorrow against the Broons.

[Albatrosss]

3 hours ago, Ozzy said:

 

Ahem........

Doesn’t count. You’ve been saying it for the last 15 games. You’re a broken clock.

[Ozzy]

2 hours ago, Albatrosss said:

Doesn’t count. You’ve been saying it for the last 15 games. You’re a broken clock.

 

...Which is correct twice a day!!  Like today!!!  ....twice!!

 

I'll take the credit!! 

[Albatrosss]

6 hours ago, Ozzy said:

 

...Which is correct twice a day!!  Like today!!!  ....twice!!

 

I'll take the credit!! 

What about the other 22 times?

[RJWantsTheCup]

It was just a matter of time.  
Maybe the Devils or Carolina can trade for Carter Hart.  

[phillyb]

Good thing we play the Flyers four times a season...wait, why did I think it was 6 for division teams? 

[Br4d]

7 minutes ago, phillyb said:

Good thing we play the Flyers four times a season...wait, why did I think it was 6 for division teams? 

 

You're remembering the days when there wasn't a hockey team in every small city.

 

Next expansion is Evansville, Indiana and Salt Lake City.

[BrooksBurner]

It's probably time to re-visit this thread. I think Zib had a couple of good games at ES in the last few weeks, but it's not been enough. He's now got 1 ES point in his last 5 games, and he's back to being pretty ineffective.

 

He is currently pacing 28 ES points, which is a good 20 points less than the ~50 he's given you the last several years. Naturally, the first thing to look at is if anything changed around him, starting with linemates. Kreider is pacing 34 ES points, which is in line with what he's been giving you, so no change in production there. RW has been a revolving door the last few years since Buchnevich got traded. Last year was primarily Kakko/Vesey pre-trade deadline. This year it's Kakko/Wheeler/Brod. It's not really different.

 

The crux of the issue appears to be that Zibanejad is simply in a rut not playing like the line driver he's paid to be, and it's not about his linemates. He's just not all there. So what gives? Could this be the same thing we've seen happen to Shesterkin? Just became a dad right before the season started? It's understandable if he's lagging from that. We shouldn't pretend the off ice can't affect the on ice product. That means we need to just stick with it and keep giving him time to adjust to his new realty. Fortunately, the team started hot enough to buy time for that.

[Valriera]

11 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

It's probably time to re-visit this thread. I think Zib had a couple of good games at ES in the last few weeks, but it's not been enough. He's now got 1 ES point in his last 5 games, and he's back to being pretty ineffective.

 

He is currently pacing 28 ES points, which is a good 20 points less than the ~50 he's given you the last several years. Naturally, the first thing to look at is if anything changed around him, starting with linemates. Kreider is pacing 34 ES points, which is in line with what he's been giving you, so no change in production there. RW has been a revolving door the last few years since Buchnevich got traded. Last year was primarily Kakko/Vesey pre-trade deadline. This year it's Kakko/Wheeler/Brod. It's not really different.

 

The crux of the issue appears to be that Zibanejad is simply in a rut not playing like the line driver he's paid to be, and it's not about his linemates. He's just not all there. So what gives? Could this be the same thing we've seen happen to Shesterkin? Just became a dad right before the season started? It's understandable if he's lagging from that. We shouldn't pretend the off ice can't affect the on ice product. That means we need to just stick with it and keep giving him time to adjust to his new realty. Fortunately, the team started hot enough to buy time for that.

I do think there are legs to the new parent argument. When it happened to me, I had plenty of physical energy but I was not mentally sharp for almost two years. When I look at Mika's game, he is getting chances and he doesn't look slow but he's lacking that killer edge. Missing the net. Flubbing one timers. Forcing passes to Kreider for no reason. His (and Kreider's, to be honest, but for different reasons) problems are all mental from what I can see. 

 

But before I jump to that conclusion, I do need to see what he does away from one or both of Kreider and Wheeler. These two players are playing absolutely terrible hockey right now, with Kreider's only saving grace that he's still doing alright on the PK. Kreider is not any more terrible than he typically is at even strength, and Wheeler is just lost out there. I think Kreider is an easy player to switch with someone down the lineup, because he's still going to get PP time and be effective there, but Wheeler I have no idea what to do with. He makes no money, and has potential upside to play on the top line unlike anyone else on that contract, but he's just not showing it. You could move Vesey but honestly that fourth line is playing excellent hockey and I'd be hesitant to toy with it. I think the best move is you swap Cuylle and Kreider and see what happens, and then you do more with Wheeler if nothing happens as a result. IDK, but I definitely do not place all the ES blame on Mika here - that whole line has been terrible and you really do need all three players working at even strength to be effective.