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Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad Removed From COVID Protocol After False Positive

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4:12 pm: Zibanejad experienced a false positive test and has been removed from COVID protocol, per a team tweet. He’ll be available for Sunday’s game versus the Buffalo Sabres.

10:09 am: The Rangers announced (Twitter link) before their practice today that center Mika Zibanejad has been placed in COVID protocol.  As is often the case with these announcements, there is no indication as to whether or not he tested positive or entered the protocol for another reason.

The 28-year-old is off to a bit of a quieter start by his standards this season, scoring just four times in 17 games although Zibanejad has chipped in with ten assists to place him fourth in scoring for New York.  Zibanejad once again leads the way in terms of ice time by a forward, logging over 20 minutes a game.  He’s in the final year of his contract that carries a $5.35MM AAV, a considerable bargain compared to the eight-year, $68MM extension that he signed last month.

Zibanejad tested positive for the virus prior to training camp for last season but that was only back in January.  If this is indeed another positive test, he would be out for at least the next ten days which would cause him to miss New York’s next four games at a minimum.  While that wouldn’t be enough time missed to accelerate their shopping for more forward depth, it would still be a tough blow to a team that has gotten off to a solid start this season with a 10-4-3 record.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers

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The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again.  However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener.  However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip.  An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
  • Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating.  As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
  • While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.

New York Rangers Extend Mika Zibanejad

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The New York Rangers announced Sunday morning that they’ve extended center Mika Zibanejad. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports an eight-year deal with a cap hit in the $8.5MM range. Per CapFriendly, the contract breakdown is as follows:

2022-23: $1MM salary + $7MM signing bonus
2023-24: $1MM salary + $9MM signing bonus
2024-25: $1MM salary + $9.5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $1MM salary + $9MM signing bonus
2026-27: $1MM salary + $7.5MM signing bonus
2027-28: $1MM salary + $6.75MM signing bonus
2028-29: $1MM salary + $5.75MM signing bonus
2029-30: $1MM salary + $5.5MM signing bonus

CapFriendly also adds that the deal contains a full no-move clause through the first seven years of the deal plus most of the eighth year.  In 2030, that clause will drop to a 21-team no-trade clause seven days before the trade deadline.

Zibanejad’s extension will begin in the 2022-23 season, taking him through 2029-30 — his age 37 season. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this campaign.

With Zibanejad’s $8.5MM reported cap hit, it’s an increase of a little over $3MM on his previous $5.35MM cap hit. The center is coming off a five-year, $26.75MM deal he signed with the Rangers prior to the 2017-18 season.

The contract has immediate salary cap ramifications for the Rangers, who’ll have a busy and challenging offseason ahead of them at the conclusion of this season. The team is projected to have $20.2MM in space next year with the cap increasing to $82.5MM. That space is all they have to re-sign Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Sammy Blais, and Alexandar Georgiev, as well as filling out the rest of their roster. They’re handicapped by a $3.4MM cap penalty from the combined buyouts of Kevin Shattenkirk, Dan Girardi, and Anthony DeAngelo.

Throughout his 604-game NHL career, Zibanejad’s scored 200 goals, 234 assists, and 434 points. He’s averaged over 20 minutes a game for the Rangers for three consecutive seasons, cementing his role as a bonafide top-line center. He scored 24 goals and 50 points during last season’s shortened 56-game campaign.

Drafted sixth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2011, he’s done his best work away from the team that drafted him after Ottawa shipped him away to the Rangers in 2016 in exchange for Derick Brassard. He’s scored 283 points in 323 games as a Ranger.

Theoretically, this deal also had a direct impact on another New York squad. The Rangers have long been linked as a possible destination for former Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel via trade. Yet an eight-year commitment of this magnitude to a player that’s served as their first-line center for years now would suggest that the Rangers have placed their bets in-house on a center that can take them to a Stanley Cup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Images.

All salary cap figures courtesy of CapFriendly.

Metropolitan Notes: Zibanejad, Lee, Malkin

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The New York Rangers began extension talks with top center Mika Zibanejad earlier this month, but the two sides have not yet reached a resolution on a new contact. However, don’t expect that to bother Zibanejad this season. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reports that Zibanejad is unfazed by his impending free agent status. He has been candid with comments stating that he will leave negotiations to his agent and the Rangers’ front office while he remains focused on the upcoming season. “Right now, they’re taking care of business — so I’m taking care of mine,” Zibanejad stated. While many players state us much while actually posturing, Zibanejad really does have nothing to worry about. Sure, the skilled center has stated that he enjoys playing in New York and would like to sign long-term with the Rangers. However, the 28-year-old could also be the top name on the open market if he cannot come to terms with the team on a new deal. Walker reports that Zibanejad’s side is seeking upwards of $10MM per year on a seven- or eight-year term, while the Rangers would prefer to keep that cap number between $7-9MM. While Zibanejad would lose the possibility of that eighth year should he test the market, competition would also certainly drive that AAV up toward his asking price. As a result, Zibanejad has all the leverage in talks with New York, especially if he performs this season, so it makes sense that he can calmly focus solely on his play and let negotiations unfold behind the scenes.

  • Across town, the New York Islanders are looking forward to the return of one of their own core players in Anders Lee. Lee missed the final 29 games of the regular season and the entirety of the postseason after undergoing ACL surgery in March, but is now back to full strength. Yet, his comeback is still on hold for the time being. Though Lee has not been limited in training camp, NYI Hockey Now’s Christian Arnold relays word from head coach Barry Trotz that Lee will not be rushed into preseason action. The star forward is expected to be held out of at least the first few Islanders preseason games, if not more. While the team wants Lee to be up to game speed by the start of the regular season, they are being cautious with his workload on a surgically repaired knee. A hard-working veteran, Lee will be ready to go for New York’s season debut regardless of how much work he puts in prior.
  • As for Evgeni Malkin, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that it is status quo for the star center’s return from off-season knee surgery. While Sidney Crosby is only expected to miss a few games to start the year following his own wrist surgery, the expectation remains that Malkin will miss the first two months of the season. The Penguins surely had hoped that Malkin could fast-forward his return to action, especially since the team’s limited cap space handicapped their ability to find a suitable replacement down the middle. The focus so far in training camp has been on veteran Evan Rodrigues and youngster Radim Zohorna battling for a starting center role, though neither will be able to bring even replacement-level offense to the lineup. Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger, and eventually Crosby will likely be the Penguins top-nine centers until Malkin returns and the lines are re-shuffled.

Rangers Begin Extension Talks With Mika Zibanejad

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The Rangers have started discussions on a contract extension with center Mika Zibanejad with a mutual objective of getting an agreement in place, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post (subscription link).  The 28-year-old has played on what has become a very team-friendly deal for New York over the past four seasons and that contract, which carries a $5.35MM AAV, is now in its final year, setting him up to hit unrestricted free agency next summer.

Zibanejad has seen his offensive production increase sharply over the past three seasons.  He notched 74 points in 82 games in 2018-19, then managed to beat that total by one in 25 fewer games in 2019-20.  While his output dipped last season, he still managed to put up 50 points in 56 contests.  While it took him a while to get there, Zibanejad has produced like a legitimate number one center over the past three years.

Accordingly, Brooks pegs his asking price of being upwards of $10MM per season on a long-term pact of either seven or eight years.  Interestingly enough, that price tag is what Buffalo’s Jack Eichel costs and New York has been linked to him in trade speculation all summer long and adding his contract would all but eliminate the possibility of being able to afford an extension for Zibanejad.

One comparable that GM Chris Drury will likely want to point to is Philadelphia’s Sean Couturier, who inked an eight-year extension with a $7.75MM AAV earlier this summer.  He also recently had a two-year spike in offensive production before settling down a bit last season.  Something at or slightly above that price point is where they’d likely want to go.

While the idea of signing Zibanejad to a max-term contract may not necessarily be desirable as he’ll be 37 at the end of such a deal, if the inclusion of that extra season helps bring the cap hit down, it may be worth doing.  Right now, cap space isn’t an issue but that will change fairly quickly.

Next summer, they have nearly $53MM in commitments to 14 players, per CapFriendly, but that amount would dwindle quickly with a deal for Zibanejad and defenseman Adam Fox who is undoubtedly heading for a substantial raise of his own.  Youngsters Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov will also be restricted free agents of their own while a year later, 2020 top pick Alexis Lafreniere will need a new deal as well.  As their cheap entry-level contracts expire, the price tag of this roster will go up quite quickly.

Even with those extensions, there is still room for one pricey middleman.  If they eventually wind up with Eichel, it won’t be Zibanejad sticking around barring one of their other high-paid players being moved elsewhere.  But if those talks continue to prove unfruitful, a long-term agreement with Zibanejad – who has made it clear that he wants to stay with the Rangers – may very well be the next best thing.  Brooks adds that talks have been productive so far so that process at least appears to be off to a decent start.

Metropolitan Notes: Zibanejad, Mrazek, Samsonov, Carlson

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The Rangers have started preliminary discussions on an extension with center Mika Zibanejad, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.  2020-21 was a down season for the 28-year-old as he was slowed early on by a bout with COVID-19 although he managed to still post 24 goals and 26 assists in 50 games.  Brooks notes that the expectation is that Zibanejad’s camp will be seeking a new deal in the $10MM per year range, an AAV that only six centers around the league have hit.  Zibanejad has one more year left on his existing contract with a $5.35MM cap hit and will need to have a year similar to 2019-20 when he had 41 goals and 34 assists in 57 games if he wants a shot at becoming the seventh center to have a double-digit AAV.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek is expected to test the free agent market on Wednesday over signing a new deal with Carolina before then, relays Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link). He entered 2020-21 as their expected starter but injuries limited him to just a dozen starts.  With Alex Nedeljkovic being moved to Detroit, the Hurricanes now have three pending UFAs between the pipes although GM Don Waddell expressed optimism that they can get one of them signed.  At this point, it doesn’t seem as if Mrazek will be the one to put pen to paper on a new deal.
  • Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is expected to sign a short-term bridge contract, GM Brian MacLellan told Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. The 24-year-old has shown some promising flashes but was inconsistent this past season, notching just a .902 SV% in 19 appearances.  Now locked in as their starter going forward, a strong couple of years on a short-term agreement could have Samsonov well-positioned for a much bigger contract in his next time through restricted free agency when he’ll have salary arbitration rights.
  • Also from Pell’s column, Capitals defenseman John Carlson has undergone minor knee surgery but is expected to be fully recovered for the start of training camp. The veteran played through the issue in the playoffs but still logged nearly 26 minutes a game in their opening-round loss to Boston.

East Notes: Zibanejad, Islanders, Devils, Voracek, Marchand

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The New York Rangers have been trending upwards as they look forward to the upcoming season. However, one troubling aspect of training camp is the fact that their team leader and MVP Mika Zibanejad has missed the entirety of training camp with no explanation for his absence (standard league policy).

However, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that Zibanejad did skate Saturday before the team’s practice, suggesting he might be close to returning to the team. Head coach David Quinn said that Zibanejad has “had a couple of good days.”

The 27-year-old center had a breakout season last year, scoring 41 goals in 57 games and will be looked upon to lead the team once again.

  • The New York Islanders and general manager Lou Lamoriello signed Mathew Barzal to a three-year deal early Saturday, but there was hope that the two sides could agree to a six-year pact instead, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required). The two sides were discussing a deal similar to the six-year, $9.25MM contract that Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen signed last year, but the Islanders could not make that work. The hope was the team could unload the contracts of Leo Komarov and/or Thomas Hickey to free up the necessary cap room, but no team was willing to take either contract.
  • The New Jersey Devils could be looking the trade route to fill its backup goaltending spot on the roster after veteran Corey Crawford announced his retirement. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that they might be looking towards the Arizona Coyotes, who have quite a bit of goaltending depth, including Adin Hill, who Arizona would have to pass through waivers to get on the taxi squad. That could give New Jersey a chance to trade for Antti Raanta, who is in the last year of his contract and is earning $4.25MM.
  • Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is completely focused on a long playoff run this season and has sent a message to veteran Jakub Voracek, who was moved off the first-team power play in practice and was told to step up, according to Philadelphia Enquirer’s Marcus Hayes. Voracek scored just 12 goals during the regular season, but especially struggled during the Flyers’ seven-game playoff series against the New York Islanders in which he had just one point. “I talked to Jake about this. I challenged him about this season. There’s a man who’s been in the league for a long time,” Vigneault said. “Basically, he’s won two playoff rounds.” Other young players are ready to take bigger roles on the team, including Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick and Joel Farabee, which could put even more pressure on Voracek.
  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who is coming off sports hernia surgery, left practice early Sunday, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 32-year-old was given a four-month recovery window in September, but Marchand returned early from that prognosis. While there is no word on why he left practice early, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he was getting treatment and doesn’t believe the injury is serious. He is a game-time decision for Monday’s scrimmage.

East Notes: Bratt, Olofsson, Ratcliffe, Rangers

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Devils winger Jesper Bratt is one of eight remaining restricted free agents around the league.  GM Tom Fitzgerald spoke with reporters today; Catherine Bogart of New Jersey’s team website provided Fitzgerald’s update on the status of negotiations with the 22-year-old:

Jesper’s agent and I have been in constant communication.  We’re trying to find a common ground on their thoughts on how a deal should be structured versus how we think a deal should be structured. I see a lot of parallels with Jesper’s situation with the Mackenzie Blackwood situation, and you know the contract negotiations.

Blackwood recently inked a three-year, $8.4MM deal coming off of his entry-level contract, the same situation that Bratt finds himself in.  He has had between 32 and 36 points in each of his three NHL seasons and had a career-high 16 tallies in 2019-20.  Even if they can come to terms in the next day or two, it’s unlikely that the Devils will have Bratt in the lineup on opening night as he will have to get his work visa, fly over from Sweden, and go through mandatory quarantine protocols before being cleared to suit up.

More from the East Division:

  • Sabres winger Victor Olofsson left practice early after crashing into the net, relays NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). While Olofsson was able to briefly return, he was not on the ice for their final session of the day.  He is currently being evaluated, per head coach Ralph Krueger.
  • Included in the Flyers’ announcement of their training camp roster was a note that winger Isaac Ratcliffe will be out for at least four weeks after sustaining a fractured rib in training. The 21-year-old made his pro debut last season, notching six goals and nine assists in 53 games with Lehigh Valley of the AHL.
  • The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that centers Mika Zibanejad and Justin Richards plus goaltender Keith Kinkaid are all listed as day-to-day and will not be available when on-ice workouts begin early next week. No further explanations were given for their absences.  Meanwhile, GM Jeff Gorton confirmed that the team will not recall winger Vitali Kravtsov from his loan to Chelyabinsk of the KHL until that season is complete, relays Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today (via Twitter).  The 21-year-old has a dozen goals and five assists in 34 games so far this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Brodeur, Holtby

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With dates set now for training camp (July 10) and playoff start (July 30), pending an official agreement, many players currently residing in Europe will have to eventually make their way back to North American soil to prepare for the playoffs. While it might be too early for some to begin that process, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that several New York Rangers’ players are preparing to start that process soon.

Forward Pavel Buchnevich will be the first to cross the ocean with his agent confirming that the 25-year-old, who has spent the pause in Russia, is expected to be in New York on Sunday. Other Rangers’ players are expected to follow, including Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast, who are currently in Sweden; Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev in Finland; and Filip Chytil from the Czech Republic. Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin both opted to stay in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Players are expected to be tested for the coronavirus when they arrive in New York and then tested again in a week. If both tests are negative, they will then be cleared to practice.

  • Matt Larkin of the Hockey News writes that former New Jersey Devils’ goaltender Martin Brodeur is not interested in becoming general manager of the New Jersey Devils at this time. The longtime Devils goaltender moved from a hockey business position to a hockey operations role on Jan. 12 after the team fired Ray Shero as their general manager and replaced him with Tom Fitzgerald on an “interim basis.” However, Brodeur said that while that role interests him down the role, he’s not ready to take on that challenge yet. The 48-year-old currently lives in St. Louis and made it clear he might not be ready to take on a rigorous role as a general manager. “I’m not saying that one day, I won’t say, ‘You know what? This is the time for me to do it, maybe,’ Brodeur said. “But right now, I value my time off too much to get myself involved. Not that I’m not involved, as in my role I need to be pretty much present, but I’m able to kind of make my own schedule and not rely on the general manager setup.”
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes that while many people still envision goaltender Braden Holtby to be the Washington Capitals starting netminder when the playoffs resume, it will be critical for the upcoming unrestricted free agent to perform well. With the salary cap not likely to go up this year due to COVID-19, many UFA’s aren’t likely to score big free agent contracts. Holtby, who was outplayed by rookie Ilya Samsonov and posted poor regular season numbers with a career-low .897 save percentage, could benefit if he dominated in the playoffs.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Fines, Wisconsin

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The NHL has released their Three Stars from last week, and the five-goal man is at the top once again. Mika Zibanejad was always going to be the first star after scoring five goals in a single game (including the OT winner). The New York Rangers center scored seven on the week, giving him a career-high 39 through just 55 games this season.

Second and third place go to two Western Conference stars in Gabriel Landeskog and Leon Draisaitl, who continued their scoring ways with nine and eight points respectively. That means Draisaitl is up to 110 on the season, an incredible feat given he has only played 69 games so far.

  • St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been fined $5,000 for his roughing of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist, which resulted in a line brawl between the two teams. Sundqvist tried to lay a check along the boards, but when he missed his left hand (while clutching his stick) came around and hit Boqvist in the face. The amount is the maximum allowable under the CBA, and will affect other supplementary discipline in the future.
  • While other college players are starting to sign with teams in the NHL, a few names from the Wisconsin program have yet to make their decisions. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Montreal Canadiens will meet with Cole Caufield over the next week while his colleague Rick Carpiniello adds that the Rangers have been in contact with K’Andre Miller but the prospect defenseman has not yet made a decision.

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