The New York Rangers will look a bit different in their next game, but it shouldn't be something that sticks around for some time. Mika Zibanejad was seen at practice for the Rangers, but after a while, he went to the bench while the team continued to work.
It was an interesting move, and after practice, head coach Mike Sullivan shared that Zibanejad wouldn't play because he missed a team meeting, according to Vincent Mercogliano of The Athletic.
“Sullivan acknowledged that ‘there are logistical challenges the city presents' that caused Zibanejad’s lateness, but added, ‘Mika understands the importance of the rules that we all expect of one another,'” Mercogliano wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sullivan noted that Zibanejad felt terrible about the decision.
“He feels terribly,” Sullivan said. “The one thing about Mika is he’s an honest person. He’s a great human being and he takes responsibility for it.
“It’s certainly not something that we would like to happen, but having said that, we believe strongly in the process that we have in place. I think it’s important for everyone to understand what the expectations are, and Mika understands that as a leader of the team. None of us are perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, and we’ll move by this. He’ll be available tomorrow, and he’ll be the player that he’s been for us all year long.”
Sullivan has never been shy of holding his players accountable.
Zibanejad has played in all 33 games for the Rangers and is third on the team with 25 points. He's been scoring a point per game in the last 19 games, and the reason for the uptick has probably been because of his move back to his natural center position after he started the season at right wing.
At this point in time, it's uncertain who will take Zibanejad's spot between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière, but Jonny Brodzinski will be in the lineup.
