As Mika Zibanejad tries to take the reins as the Rangers’ No. 1 center, he has worked on his mindset, on how to be more engaging and open in his competitiveness on a nightly basis.
It’s what the Blueshirts need to fill their void down the middle, and it’s exactly what Zibanejad wants to bring once camp opens with the first off-ice testing Thursday.
“It’s obviously going to be nerve-racking, and it’s a situation I’ve never been in before, so it’s something that you’ve been looking forward to, and want to be able to take the next step,” Zibanejad said after he was part of a group of mostly veterans that skated at the team’s Westchester practice facility Monday.