PuckSleuth
93Cap hit
$8.5M
8.2% of $104M cap
Term
4 yrs
Through 2029-30, then UFA
Clause
NMC
Surplus value
+$428K
vs. $8.928M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
3
Goals
1
16.7% shooting
Assists
1
0 primary
Points
2
0.67 per game
TOI/GP
19:35
PP 2:50 · PK 1:38
xGF%
62.1
5v5, +12.9 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.85
per game
Faceoff %
—
27 W · 18 L
Plus/minus
0
Blocks 3 · Hits 5
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2 @ DET · W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:21 | 5:01 | 1:28 | 10-7 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.13 |
| Oct 1 vs TBL · W 5-1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18:53 | 1:41 | 3:14 | 8-4 | 25 | 2 | 0 | +1 | +2.09 |
| Sep 29 @ BOS · L 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18:31 | 1:47 | 0:12 | 9-7 | 75 | 1 | 2 | -1 | +0.32 |
| Apr 15 @ TBL · W 4-2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21:42 | 2:51 | 3:02 | 11-5 | 43 | 2 | 0 | +1 | +1.99 |
| Apr 13 @ FLA · L 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 21:26 | 4:59 | 0:34 | 10-3 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 0 | +0.21 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 1,168 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards
50th percentile
72nd percentile
45th percentile
48th percentile
57th percentile
42nd percentile
50th percentile
53rd percentile
44th percentile
80th percentile
95th percentile
88th percentile
58th percentile
69th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleOffensive playmaker center
Trait percentiles vs. NHL centers · 2025-26
Zibanejad is a high-volume shooter and elite passer who creates chances at an impressive rate, though he struggles to generate scoring opportunities through transition play and can be sloppy with the puck in tight situations. His strong even-strength control masks a player who is less physical, less defensively engaged, and less explosive than many peers.
- Shooting volume
- 85
- Playmaking
- 88
- Zone entries(est.)
- 27
- Forechecking
- 39
- Physicality
- 43
- Defensive impact
- 44
- Puck management
- 16
- Speed
- 58
Where he shoots from
Slot 41% · Mid-range 36% · Perimeter 23%(338 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Elite playmaking (88th percentile) fuels his 44 assists and consistent offensive production
- Prolific shooting volume (85th percentile) with 338 unblocked shots keeps opponents on their heels
- Solid even-strength goal share (49.2%) shows he drives play at five-on-five despite limitations
Watch-outs
- Rush chances well below average (27th percentile) limits fast-break opportunities and transition scoring
- Puck management is a real weakness (16th percentile), creating turnovers that hurt his team
- Forechecking effort (39th percentile) and defensive impact (44th percentile) lag behind offensive contributions
Similar style: Macklin Celebrini (SJS), J.T. Miller (NYR)
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 81 GP
Season total +79.6, or +0.98 per game.
- Scoring
- +61.8
- Shooting
- +16.1
- 5-on-5 goals
- -0.1
- Defense
- +0.3
- Penalty kill
- -0.1
- Physical play
- +4.6
- Puck battles
- -3.9
- Penalties
- +0.4
- Faceoffs
- +0.5
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | Ottawa Senators | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4.8 | 13:36 | 36.8 |
| 2014-15 | Ottawa Senators | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7.1 | 15:43 | 36.2 |
| 2016-17 | New York Rangers | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 5.9 | 17:53 | 46.8 |
| 2019-20 | New York Rangers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11.1 | 23:07 | 52.5 |
| 2021-22 | New York Rangers | 20 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 63 | 15.9 | 20:51 | 51.0 |
| 2022-23 | New York Rangers | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6.3 | 19:28 | 48.1 |
| 2023-24 | New York Rangers | 16 | 3 | 13 | 16 | +1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 7.5 | 21:18 | 52.2 |
| Career | 7 seasons | 74 | 19 | 44 | 63 | 0 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 197 | 9.6 | 19:02 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.
Usage
Last game: @ DET, Oct 2
Line 1 with Alexis Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault (10:29 together at 5-on-5) · PP1
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
- Rangers Down Lightning in Disappointing Season Opener
thunderstrucksports.com · Oct 2
- Rangers roll in electric home opener capped by historic Igor Shesterkin goalie goal
bluelinestation.com · Oct 2
- TBL@NYR: Zibanejad scores PPG against Andrei Vasilevskiy
NHL.com · Oct 2
- Franchise power-play king Mika Zibanejad scores Rangers first goal of season
Blue Line Station · Oct 2
- NYR Practice: Fox, Zibanejad and Durzi
nhl.com · Oct 1
- NYR vs TBL Post: Shesterkin, JT, Zibanejad & Dorofeyev
NHL.com · Oct 1
- Will Mika Zibanejad Score a Goal vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 1?
Bleacher Nation · Oct 1
- Mike Sullivan's special teams tweak could unlock another level for Rangers top centers
bluelinestation.com · Sep 24
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.93 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2026-27, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 19.8 mph
- 21st pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 0
- Hardest shot
- 73.3 mph
- 59th pct
- Distance
- 2.9 mi
- OZ time
- 42.0%
- 52nd pct
- DZ time
- 37.1%
Age curve
NHL forwards · production index
At 33, forwards typically produce 69% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 36, when the typical level is 49%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
4 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | NYR | $8.5M | 8.2% |
| 2027-28 | NYR | $8.5M | 7.5% |
| 2028-29 | NYR | $8.5M | — |
| 2029-30 | NYR | $8.5M | — |
UFA after 2029-30. NMC. $34M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).