Photo credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images
Mika Zibanejad just ripped an Olympic goal for Sweden, tied Team USA late, and the trade deadline buzz around the New York Rangers got a whole lot louder.
It was the exact moment scouts circle in red ink. Big stage, empty net, and one shot to keep a season alive.
With Jacob Markstrom pulled for the extra attacker, Zibanejad found daylight and buried it to make it 1-1, flirting with a third overtime in a quarter-final.
That is “pressure” hockey, and it travels.
Back in New York, the Rangers are sitting at 22-29-6, and the league knows they have hard choices coming.
Zibanejad’s 2025-26 line sits at 23-29-52 in 56 games, and he still drives a ton of the man advantage.
This is the kind of goal that rewrites the vibe around a player in one night.
His cap hit is $8.5 million, and that number matters in every deadline math problem.
Mika Zibanejad puts New York Rangers on notice
Rangers fans have been tired of the “almost” games, so seeing him deliver with a country on his shoulders hits different.
When he plays fast through the middle, it changes the whole look of a top-six.
The deadline is Friday, March 6, and the clock is already screaming.
If you’re a contender, you see a center who can play special teams, win draws, and handle the heat in a one-goal game.
You also see a name that forces a real package, not a futures-only shrug.
The catch is leverage, because Zibanejad has a full no-move clause, and he’s said he wants to stay.
But “can’t trade him” is not the same as “won’t explore it,” especially if the Rangers decide this season needs a reset.
One Olympic snipe does not solve roster construction, but it does lift perception, and perception is currency at the deadline.
Previously on NY Hockey Insider
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Mika Zibanejad’s Olympic heroics could net the Rangers a haul at the trade deadline
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