Just when the sun was coming out on the New York Rangers, they are back in a tailspin in the 2025–26 NHL season. Still, after the 3–2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Mike Sullivan found it in him to praise Mika Zibanejad.
“I think Mika has been arguably our best forward all year,” Sullivan admitted, via NHL.com. “Not just with how he’s scoring goals, but with how he’s playing the game.”
Sullivan also stated he often wishes Zibanejad would shoot the puck more often. “The puck comes off his stick differently than most,” Sullivan concluded. Against the Jets, Zibanejad found the back of the net to tie the game at two apiece. However, it wasn’t enough as the Blueshirts lost in a shootout in Dylan Garand’s debut as an NHL goalie.
Zibanejad scores 30th goal of the season
With his tally against the Jets, Zibanejad netted his 30th goal of the 2025-26 NHL campaign. The Swede has now reached the 30-goal mark on a season for the fourth time in his career (first since 2022-23 season).
Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers controls the puck.
In addition to his personal records, Zibanejad is also making franchise history with his strong season. He has now tied Adam Graves for the fourth-most goals in Rangers history, as reported by @NYR_PR on X. Zibanejad is 46 goals behind Chris Kreider (326 goals) for the third-most in franchise history.
Signed for the next four seasons to a contract that includes a full no-movement clause (M-NTC in 2029–30), all signs indicate that, should Zibanejad stay on Broadway, he will surpass Kreider. He might take Jean Ratelle’s (336 G) second place as well. However, dethroning Rod Gilbert (406) may be out of reach.
What truly matters for the Rangers
Still, that’s not very important right now. What Zibanejad and the Rangers care about is setting the foundation for the future, as New York is spiraling out of control once again. The immediate effect from the youth is no longer doing the trick, and Sullivan must find answers.
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