Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad being selected sixth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

On 13 July 2011, Zibanejad signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators, the team that drafted him sixth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.[9] After an impressive training camp, Zibanejad joined the Senators for their first game of the 2011–12 season. He registered his first career NHL point in his first game, an assist on a goal by Filip Kuba in a 5–3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.[10] After just one point in nine games played, Zibanejad was reassigned to his most recent club, Djurgårdens IF, on 26 October.[11]

In June 2012, Zibanejad was rumoured to be a key part of a package Ottawa was offering to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for disgruntled superstar Rick Nash. The offer was allegedly withdrawn when Columbus general manager Scott Howson informed the Senators Nash was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause to accept a move to Ottawa.[12]

In August 2012, the Senators announced Zibanejad would spend the 2012–13 season in North America, either in the NHL with the Senators or with the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.[13] Due to the NHL lockout, Zibanejad began the season with Binghamton, where he registered 11 points in 23 games while battling injuries. He was called up to Ottawa on 28 January 2013, and played in his first NHL game of the season on 29 January against the Washington Capitals, a game in which he was selected as the first star.[14] The following night, on 30 January in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Zibanejad scored his first career NHL goal. The goal came on the power play against goaltender Peter Budaj and with assists from Colin Greening and André Benoit.[15] In the 2015–16 season, Zibanejad scored a career high 21 goals with 30 assists.

Zibanejad with the Ottawa Senators in 2013

On 18 July 2016, Zibanejad was traded by the Senators to the New York Rangers (along with a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft) in exchange for Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.[16] He had one year remaining on his contract before becoming eligible as a restricted free agent whereas Brassard had three left on his.[17]

On 20 November 2016, during a game against the Florida Panthers, Zibanejad suffered a gruesome injury in overtime when he went hard with his left leg into the boards while trying to get in front of Reilly Smith. After the game, which the Rangers eventually lost 3–2 in a shootout, it was announced that he had broken his left fibula and would miss six to eight weeks.[18] He returned to the Rangers lineup against the Dallas Stars on 17 January 2017 after missing 25 games; he scored two goals in the 7–6 Rangers loss.[19] The Rangers made the playoffs at the end of the season. On 20 April 2017, Zibanejad scored the overtime winning goal in Game 5 of the 2017 NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Montreal Canadiens.[20] After the Rangers eliminated the Canadiens, Zibanejad met his former team, the Senators, in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Ottawa would triumph in six games but Zibanejad led his team in scoring during the playoffs, registering nine points in 12 games.[21][22]

After trading first-line centre Derek Stepan, the Rangers avoided arbitration with Zibanejad, signing him to a five-year, $26.75 million contract extension on 25 July 2017. With Stepan's departure this made Zibanejad the Rangers' new first line centre for the 2017–18 season.[22] However, the season did not go well and the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.[23] The Rangers announced they were rebuilding and proceeded to jettison veteran players while retaining young talent like Zibanejad.[24][25] Zibanejad primarily lined up with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, but also saw significant time with Jesper Fast. By the end of the season there were still questions as to whether he was a true first line centre.[26] In the following season, Zibanejad was once again played as the Rangers' top centre, lining up between Kreider and Buchnevich.[27] However, this was the first year of the Rangers' rebuild and they failed to reach the playoffs again.[28] Despite that, Zibanejad broke out, reaching the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career and lead the team in scoring.[29]

In the offseason, the Rangers added Artemi Panarin and he was placed on Zibanejad's line to being the season.[30] Zibanejad scored a goal and three assists in the Rangers' 2019–20 season opener on 3 October 2019,[31] and followed that game with his third career hat-trick against the Ottawa Senators on 5 October. He also posted an assist in the game,[32][33] becoming the sixth player in NHL history with four-point games in each of the first two games of the season, and the first player to do so since John Cullen of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990. He was the second player in Rangers history to post eight points through the first two games of the season,[33] the fourth in franchise history to score six or more points in that span,[34] and the first in both cases since Rod Gilbert in 1976.[33][34] Zibanejad's game on 5 October made him the first Rangers player with an even strength goal, a power play goal, and a short-handed goal in an away game since Petr Nedved in 2000, and the first Ranger to do so in any game since Derek Stepan in 2014.[32] On 8 October, he was named NHL's First Star of the Week.[35] After his hot start, Zibanejad missed time with an injury suffered after a high cross-check from Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron.[36] During his absence, Panarin found chemistry with Ryan Strome. However, after Zibanejad's return Panarin returned to his wing for a short period before being split up.[30]

On 5 March 2020, Zibanejad became the third player in Rangers history to score five goals in a game in a 6–5 win over the Capitals,[37] joining Don Murdoch, who set the mark on 12 October 1976 against the Minnesota North Stars,[38] and Mark Pavelich on 23 February 1983 versus the Hartford Whalers.[39] Among Zibanejad's tallies was the overtime winner, making him only the second player in NHL history to complete the quintet of goals in the extra period. (The other was Sergei Fedorov, who did the same on 26 December 1996, also against Washington.)[37] Zibanejad had a good season and the Rangers made the playoffs.[40] They faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of an abbreviated playoff series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first game, Zibanejad had a goal and two points in a 3–2 loss.[41] The Rangers only scored twice more in the series as they were swept by the Hurricanes.[42]

Zibanejad with the New York Rangers in 2021

After scoring only three goals in 27 games to start the 2020–21 NHL season, Zibanejad scored a natural hat trick on 17 March 2021 in the second period of a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. That same game, he tied the NHL record for most points in one period set in 1978 by Bryan Trottier with six. The Rangers eventually won the game 9–0.[43] He scored another hat trick a week later on 25 March in a subsequent game against the Flyers, a match the Rangers won 8–3.[44] Accomplishing these feats, he became the third NHL player to score a natural hat trick in consecutive games against the same opponent in a single season after Thomas Vanek and Peter Bondra.[45] On 25 April 2021, during a game against the Buffalo Sabres, Zibanejad scored his seventh career hat trick (third of the season).[46] Zibanejad finished the season with 24 goals and 50 points in 56 games.[47] However, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, finishing fifth in their division.[48]

On 10 October 2021, Zibanejad signed an eight-year contract extension with the Rangers. As part of the announcement, Zibanejad was also named an alternate captain of the Rangers.[47] On 18 January 2022, Zibanejad was voted to his first All-Star game through the NHL "Last Men In" fan vote.[49] However, he decided not to attend due to personal reasons.[50] This was his first career All-Star selection.[51] The Rangers made the playoffs and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in the first round. In Game 7, Zibanejad registered a goal and two assists to beat the Penguins in overtime 4–3.[52] The Rangers then eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, again in seven games.[53] Zibanejad carried an eight-game point streak into the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it ended in Game 4 and the Rangers were eliminated in six games.[54]

For the 2022–23 season, Zibanejad once again began the season as the Rangers top centre.[55] On 17 October 2022, Zibanejad had two goals and four points in a 6–4 win over the Anaheim Ducks.[56] Zibanejad was one of the NHL's three stars for the week of 20 March 2023, registering five goals and nine points in four games.[57] He finished the season with a team-leading 39 goals and second on the team with 91 points. The Rangers faced the Devils in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.[55] Facing elimination in Game 6, the Rangers coach moved Vladimir Tarasenko to the first line with Zibanejad and Kreider. Zibanejad scored a goal and had two points to keep the season alive.[58] However, the Devils eliminated the Rangers in the next game.[59]

Zibanejad is also a DJ and music producer. He has released five songs: "Forever" in 2017, "Can't Go Back Home" the following year, in 2018, "Moves," featuring Hot Shade and Mike Perry in 2019, followed by "Nobody," featuring Hot Shade, the same year, and "By My Side" in 2020, which featured Hot Shade and Melina Borglowe.[70] In 2019, Zibanejad performed at the Summerburst Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, his first ever music festival.[71]

Zibanejad was one of the musical artists who performed at Lollapalooza Stockholm in 2023. He DJ'd a set, along with fire and pyrotechnics, on the second day (Friday night) of the three-day music festival in Sweden. He joined big-name artists, Travis Scott, Lizzo and Mumford & Sons in the lineup.[72]