A whole bunch of things need to go right — or at least better than a year ago — for the New York Rangers to play their way back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. And Mika Zibanejad is a massive part of that equation.
So much so, in fact, that Zibanejad feels like the true X-factor for the Rangers this season.
Zibanejad isn’t exactly a typical selection for that distinction. He’s a star player, one of the best on the Rangers. Usually, a team knows what it’s going to get from its best players.
But it’s different with Zibanejad, especially this season.