Let's start with this: it'd be a very difficult needle for general manager Chris Drury to thread if the New York Rangers want to trade Mika Zibanejad this offseason. So, despite rumors Zibanejad could be the next big-ticket player jettisoned by the Rangers after they traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks last week, it would appear to be extremely difficult to do so.
Zibanejad holds the cards here. The 32-year-old has a complete no-move clause for the next four years and a modified no-trade clause in 2029-30, the final season of his current contract, which pays him $8.5 million annually . And Zibanejad made it quite clear on breakup day that he negotiated those clauses for a reason, and didn't sound at all like someone open to an exit strategy after this past dismal season.
Yes, his BFF Kreider was shipped across the country, which likely stung Zibanejad. But, to be honest, he had seven months to get used to the idea after Drury's infamous trade memo listed Kreider by name in November. Plus, Larry Brooks reported in the New York Post that Zibanejad was among a group of veterans appraised by the GM of the likely Kreider trade before it happened.
That last tidbit may mean something or nothing. It does feel like the thing you do with a respected veteran leader who'll be returning next season and with whom you're trying to rebuild trust amid a rocky relationship.
However, the rumors are there. Longtime NHL columnist Arthur Staple stoked the fires some when he stated in The Athletic, "There's a chance that Drury has already worked it out with Zibanejad … that moving on would be best."
You would hope that Drury — and new coach Mike Sullivan — already had some serious discussions with Zibanejad about his future and what lies ahead for the Rangers . If their desire is to trade him, the Rangers must work with Mika, just as they did with Kreider, in order to get through the complications of such a big trade. If their desire is to keep Zibanejad as a core piece of this team, that, too, most definitely needs to be conveyed.
Perhaps more importantly, Drury and Sullivan need to know exactly where Zibanejad stands after his closest friend was traded away and the Rangers embark on a roster overhaul. A big part of the Rangers collapse this past season was Zibanejad being the face of the malaise which overtook the team, on and off the ice. That cannot happen again.
Related: Chris Kreider joins long list of Rangers icons traded away, including Brian Leetch
If — and this is a big-time if — Zibanejad told the Rangers he's open to, or even desires, a trade, then a popular destination per the NHL rumor mill is the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's a big-market contender with a hole in the middle at center behind Auston Matthews and plenty of room under the salary cap.
"Center, it's a priority," Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said after they were bounced in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "It's a priority. Having said that, there (are) probably 26 other teams that are saying it's a priority."
Toronto could re-sign its own pending unrestricted free agent center John Tavares to answer some issues at the position. Then again, the Maple Leafs could still have interest in Zibanejad as a wing, since all signs point to them letting Mitchell Marner walk as a UFA on July 1.
Zibanejad might really like the idea of skating on the same line as friend and fellow Swede William Nylander , who scored 45 goals this past season, his third straight with at least 40. Just a thought worth mentioning.
One source close to the Maple Leafs, though, threw cold water on the idea, telling Forever Blueshirts "it's the first I've heard his name mentioned" in correlation to a trade with Toronto.
On top of that, the Maple Leafs don't have a whole lot to offer the Rangers. Toronto doesn't have a first-round draft pick the next three years, and their most appealing players in New York's eyes might be affordable third-liners Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton , or maybe mid-apir defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson . If that's the heart of a return package, then the Rangers are just looking to offload Zibanejad and dump his large cap hit to go big-game hunting in free agency.
Some have mentioned a trade centering around left-shot defenseman Morgan Rielly , who makes $7.5 annually over the next five seasons and is one year younger than Zibanejad. There's upside for each player, as well as proven warts. Which is what makes that option intriguing to debate.
Only Drury and Zibanejad know for sure where this all stands, and neither is saying publicly. Time will tell if the rumors prove to be substantiated or not.
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