This past offseason, there was much discussion about whether the Rangers need to trade Mika Zibanejad, whether Zibanejad is a center or a wing, and what they need to do for him to succeed. We are 15 games into the 2025-2026 season, and perhaps the overwhelming majority of folks are preparing their statements to walk back offseason opinions. Zibanejad has been, far and away, the best Rangers forward to start the season. Best of all, he’s doing it at multiple positions.
When Vincent Trocheck went down in Game 1 with a still undisclosed injury, the main question about whether Zibanejad is a center or not came into full focus. Thrust back into the 2C role, a role he may have been forced into if Noah Laba didn’t make the team, Zibanejad has shown that last year was a blip. Zibanejad is a center. Zibanejad is a wing. He’s both, and the Rangers need that flexibility.
When last night’s lines were released, Zibanejad was sticking at center with JT Miller and Gabe Perreault on his wings. This was likely due to Perreault naturally playing right wing in Hartford, which is where Zibanejad goes when he plays wing. So perhaps out of lineup necessity, Miller was shifted to left wing, a position he played in Vancouver, to ease everyone’s transition. It was a brilliant coaching decision by Mike Sullivan, one that proved Zibanejad is a center, and a good one at that.
Zibanejad currently has five goals and nine points in 17 games, which is tied for the team lead in goals and fourth in points behind Adam Fox (3-10-13), Artemi Panarin (5-7-12), and Alexis Lafreniere (3-8-11). The difference between Panarin, Lafreniere, and Zibanejad is that only one has been a consistent force in all three zones and has looked the part of a team leader, and that’s Zibanejad. Both Panarin and JT Miller have looked a step slower to start the season, with rumors of preseason injuries impacting their play. Only Zibanejad has been the constant.
Mika Zibanejad is a center, or a wing
The key with Zibanejad’s early season success is two-fold. First, it gets the proverbial monkey off his back. After last season–where Zibanejad still put up 20 goals and 62 points on that train wreck of a team–it was clear Zibanejad needed a hot start, and he’s been giving the Rangers just that. Now with pucks starting to go in the net, it looks like Zibanejad is a center, at least based on how the lines are currently constructed.
Second, and perhaps more important, is both Zibanejad and Miller have the flexibility to play both center and wing. Zibanejad is a center and a RW. Miller is a center and a LW. If there’s an injury at wing, either player can move around the lineup and fill in the gap. That’s a sign of two players who are willing to lead by example and still get results on the ice.
Heading into the season, center depth was the biggest question mark on the Rangers. With Laba’a emergence and now proof that Zibanejad is a center, the Rangers may not need help at that position as the season continues. Now Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan have a chance to take a step back and look for other holes on the roster, like left defense and some more scoring punch on the third line.
Mika Zibanejad is a center. Mika Zibanejad is also a wing. He can play both positions, which is truly the best case outcome after many tried to run him out of town this offseason. There are still clear issues with the roster, but at least the Rangers seem to have lucked out with their center depth concerns.
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