The New York Rangers’ disappointing 2024-25 season ended with them missing the playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy and making a run to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Many players struggled, including center Mika Zibanejad, who played an important role in the team’s success in 2023-24. Trading Zibanejad is likely unrealistic, as he is signed through 2029-30 with a no-movement clause. The Rangers need him to play much better to make the postseason next season. Zibanejad’s Play This Season After finishing with 39 goals and 52 assists in 2022-23, Zibanejad finished with 26 goals and 46 assists in 2023-24 and also had three goals and 13 assists in 16 postseason games. Though his production decreased, he was still excellent on special teams and one of the Rangers’ best defensive forwards. This season, Zibanejad’s offensive production continued to decline, and he uncharacteristically played poorly defensively. Early in the season, he repeatedly had sloppy turnovers after bad decisions and sometimes simply lost control of the puck. He was also late to backcheck and looked lost at times. In addition to his defensive struggles, Zibanejad’s timing was off, and he frequently fanned on shots and missed the net. He had six goals, 15 assists, and was minus-22 in his first 36 games. His inability to score on slap shots hurt the Rangers’ power play as they scored on just 17.6 percent of their power plays this season after scoring on 26.4 percent of them last season. Mika Zibanejad had 20 goals and 42 assists for the New York Rangers this season (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Zibanejad did play better during the second half of the season as his timing was better, and he started to produce more offensively. He looked to shoot the puck rather than defer to teammates, and he played well once he was moved to the wing after the Rangers acquired center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. He played with more confidence and had 14 goals and 27 assists in the final 46 games of the season. He still made some defensive mistakes, but his play was a lot better, and he ended the season with 20 goals, 42 assists, and was minus-22. Zibanejad’s Role Next Season Part of the frustration with Zibanejad’s play this season is that many of his mistakes were mental errors. However, those mistakes can be corrected, and he was a reliable defensive forward for many seasons with the Rangers. The entire team needs to play with a better defensive structure because there were far too many breakdowns this season. Related: 3 Priorities for Rangers GM Chris Drury to Address This Offseason Offensively, Zibanejad’s timing was off for much of this season, and unlike in past seasons, he never went on a big scoring streak. On a team with plenty of playmakers, the Rangers need him to be a reliable goal scorer. Given that the Rangers now have some depth at center with Miller and Vincent Trocheck, they could play Zibanejad at right wing. He played well on a line with Miller, and the team does not have much depth at right wing. Either way, they need him to be an effective forward and provide steady play throughout the season. While there are moves the Rangers can make to try to help Zibanejad, they also need him to play with more intensity and consistency. A lot of his success with the team came because even when he slumped offensively, he forechecked, he backchecked, and he drove to the front of the net. Even if his timing is off, they need him to contribute in other ways. Zibanejad Is Capable of Playing Better Though this season was a very disappointing one for Zibanejad and the Rangers, he is capable of playing better. The team needs to be much better defensively, and he should be able to help them with that. He still has the speed and size to be a shutdown forward, but he needs to make smarter decisions and play with more intensity for the entire season. He also needs to get to the front of the net and find other ways to score when the timing of his shot is off. The Rangers will be relying on Zibanejad, and they need him to play better to reach their potential next season.