Mika Zibanejad is on the move. But that doesn't mean the veteran forward won't still be in the New York Rangers lineup next season? Or does it?
You can read the tea leaves as much as you want, but the only thing we know for sure is that Zibanejad sold his townhouse on West 12th Street in the West Village this week, per Crains New York Business . We also know he made a nice profit, selling it for $13 million after he purchased the five-level townhouse for $9.7 million in 2022.
The home "appears to have been shopped around as a 'whisper' listing, in that it wasn't publicly marketed," Crains reported.
Zibanejad could've done that because that's what celebrities do to keep their business as quiet as possible. Or perhaps the 32-year-old forward didn't want to set off a firestorm of rumors that he's planning an exit from New York and the Rangers after a massively disappointing 2024-25 season, when they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
It's not known if Zibanejad merely is moving to a new home within New York City or perhaps to the suburbs in Westchester near the Rangers practice facility. Or maybe his distaste for how general manager Chris Drury conducts business got the best of Zibanejad and he's willing to waive his no-move clause and move on after nine seasons with the Rangers.
The latter option is the least likely after listening to Zibanejad's comments about his future at break-up day. But it can't be ruled out, especially if Drury and/or new coach Mike Sullivan expressed to Zibanejad that they'd prefer to move on from him this offseason.
Related: Why Mollie Walker tells us Rangers should explore trading 'unimpressive' Alexis Lafreniere
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Fairly or not, Zibanejad was the face of the Rangers collapse this season. His 62 points were the lowest full-season total (discounting the pandemic-shortened seasons) since 2017-18, and the 20 goals he scored were his fewest since 2016-17, his first season in New York after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators.
Zibanejad had a heaviness about him this season. He admitted that how the Rangers handled the departures of veterans Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba, and the trade memo naming his best friend Chris Kreider, weighed on him terribly. He also complained about poor communication within the Rangers organization at break-up day.
In the end, though, he took blame for his poor season, when he started out as the No. 1 center, dropped to the third line and eventually settled in as the right wing on J.T. Miller's line, where he had the most success late in the season. Not only did his production decline, his defensive play was terrible.
"I know this wasn't really the season I wanted," Zibanejad said. "And that's on me."
Zibanejad made clear he wishes to stay with the Rangers and pointed to his contract that has a full no-move clause through the 2028-29 season before switching to a modified no-trade clause in its final year.
If he is going to play out that contract in New York, we know that Zibanejad won't be coming home to that townhouse in the Village. Whether the sale of his home means something more will be made clear in the coming weeks and months.
