Mika Zibanejad has been a breakout star for the New York Rangers. The Zibanejad for Brassard trade was a huge steal for the Rangers as they got a young, strong player in Zibanejad.
When the Rangers played the Boston Bruins on October 27, it was announced that Mika Zibanejad had an upper-body injury. For the past two weeks, Zibanejad is still listed as day-to-day. The Rangers made the move to call up Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren, which has helped the team.
Zibanejad has practiced here and there, but only in a red non-contact jersey. There hasn’t been a full practice with contact since the injury occurred. Zibanejad also didn’t appear at the outside practice that happened this past Saturday at Central Park.
It was announced by Vince Z. Mercogliano that Zibanejad would not be flying to Florida with the team when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. This makes Zibanejad unavailable for this week. Coach David Quinn and Mika Zibanejad have stated they want to make sure Zibanejad is 100% better before doing anything so there wouldn’t be any more setbacks.
Zibanejad has missed seven straight games and it is not clear what exactly the upper-body injury is. It could be shoulders, arms, head, etc. It has not been announced.
After the Florida trip, the Rangers don’t play again until November 20. This short break could potentially be the time when Zibanejad is ready to practice again. If all seems to be going good for Zibanejad as of now, fans could possibly see their star center soon.
Zibanejad could potentially practice before the game against the Washington Capitals on the 20. After a few days of practice, it could be possible Zibanejad returns before or after Thanksgiving, but this is if everything is going well right now.
If there is more to this injury, Zibanejad probably won’t be back until December.
Hopefully, with the way Quinn has made it seem, Zibanejad could return soon. While the Rangers have played decent without Mika Zibanejad, having the teams center back could be a significant improvement.
Featured Image:
