Having dropped their first two games this month, Rangers fans have yet to begin their “Mika March” festivities. Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers proved that offensive reinforcements are no longer a want, but a need. Having said that, there is no better time for GM Chris Drury to make a move than this very moment. Scoring their two goals on the powerplay, New York struggled to capitalize on scoring chances while playing at even strength. New York’s top lines were quieted by Paul Maurice’s system and stellar play in net from Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Rangers do not play again until Saturday when the St. Louis Blues come into town. There is time for Drury to get at least one deal done before Friday’s deadline. Instead of rushing into it, the new face(s) can settle in and get acclimated to Peter Laviolette‘s system. We know all of the names by now. It is just whether or not these deals get done. If you can take away one concern from Monday’s loss it is that even-strength scoring will forever be a crutch within this organization, and it starts at the very top. No, it is not just one person, but it just so happens that one name is receiving all of the blame.
Mika March Is Off To A Quiet Start
Depth at the centre position can be a great contribution to a Stanley Cup run. Teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightning were synonymous with having impeccable depth down the middle of the ice. On paper, the Rangers seem to have an impressive one-two punch at centre with Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. One of them is having a career year and that man is Trocheck. He has found his home centring the second line between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. On the back of a two-game in Toronto last Saturday, Trocheck has tallied 59 points in 62 games played and is still one of the league’s best in faceoffs, winning 59.7% of his draws. The other centre is struggling to find his groove.
Rangers fans know the kind of player that Mika Zibanejad can be. To this day, he is still a part of one of the greatest trades in franchise history when New York acquired him from Ottawa back in 2016. Since then, the man with the best flow on the roster has been and still is a fan favourite. He has produced some of the finest memories in recent history for the Rangers.
His overtime winner in 2017 during the first round in Montreal still provides goosebumps to this very day.
Apr 20, 2017: Mika Zibanejad scores in OT to give the Rangers a 3-2 Game 5 win over Montreal in first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/lhOLSFP3VI
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) April 20, 2020
Also, who can forget his five-goal performance against the Washington Capitals back in 2020?
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVEYup, a 5️⃣-goal game for @MikaZibanejad. Simply unreal. pic.twitter.com/Bq6EIC9axf
— NHL (@NHL) March 6, 2020
Elevating Five on Five Play
What Mika needs to do is look back into his vault, relive these memories, and regain that confidence he once had. Now, the blame is not all on him but his struggles at five on five are. For instance, on the year he has 19 goals with just five coming at five on five play. Also, he is scoring below his expected rate, where he’s generated 6.8 expected goals. It is safe to say that the Rangers want more out of him when the game is an even playing field. The majority of the roster can do a better job at finding the net and padding their stats. Zibanejad gets the blame because of his first-line status and the money that he is making. Not having a set right-winger helps, but it is not an excuse. Believe it or not, there is time for him to turn his game around. Everyone gets all of your angry tweets out, breathe in, breathe out because it will all be fine and dandy come April.
A Trade Imminent?
Many reports in that few days have linked the Rangers with numerous amounts of trade targets. Monday’s report revolved around two names: a usual suspect and a tasty new flavour that has fans licking their chops.
Reports came out that Seattle’s Alexander Wennberg missed practice on Monday due to “trade-related issues.” As of today, there has yet to be a deal with his name in it. Monday also saw reports saying that Drury contacted Buffalo about Alex Tuch. The Syracuse born forward is a name that surprised the Garden Faithful, and it is a name that they hope can be an actual trade asset.
With just a few days left, Drury and his team will be busy. If they can find a way to improve at even-strength and add more faceoff wins and goals to their name, the Rangers have the potential to be the real deal come April.
Main Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
