As a whole, the New York Rangers had a forgettable 2017 playoffs. After winning a tough series against the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers fell to the Ottawa Senators in six games.
Coach Alain Vigneault called out a fair few of the Rangers’ skaters for underperforming, but one name stayed out of his mouth–until after the postseason. Center Mika Zibanejad was okay overall in the playoffs, but really came into his own in the Ottawa series.
Speed
The series against Montreal was tough for Zibanejad. There were times where the physicality of the Canadiens rendered Zibanejad’s game seemingly ineffective.