Mika Zibanejad‘s trade from the Ottawa Senators to the New York Rangers for Derick Brassard last summer didn’t feel real until the congratulations began rolling in.
The dark-haired, soft-spoken Swede smiles as he recalled the bizarre reaction the trade evoked from friends overseas.
“I didn’t sign anything; I actually got traded away,” he thought. “One team didn’t want me, one team did.”
How does one even respond to getting praised for what could be perceived as a slight?
“Thank you?” Zibanejad would say, receiving compliments with question marks.
“That’s when I understood how big it was in Sweden.”
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With “growing the game” an NHL topic du jour, Zibanejad’s anecdotal evidence is revealing.
In a recent sit-down with the 23-year-old centre, he explained that casual hockey fans in his home country aren’t so familiar with the Senators — even though they drafted Zibanejad sixth overall in 2011 and two-time Norris champ Erik Karlsson has been lighting up Canada’s capital for eight winters.
There’s the Original Six factor, of course. Thanks to Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg, the Swedes are more than familiar with the Detroit Red Wings. And Henrik Lundqvist‘s Rangers are a big deal.
“Everyone knows about it. I have a lot more visitors now. People want to come to New York and watch hockey,” Zibanejad said.
“No one wanted to visit me in Ottawa when it’s cold and stuff.”
Having moved into a new Ottawa home just days prior to the deal, Zibanejad fell in shock on July 18 when he was informed of the trade.
“Fifty different emotions at the same time. I was going in circles and circles,” he said. “I was sad leaving Ottawa, my teammates and the friends outside of hockey I made. That’s the big thing I miss. But when you hear you’re playing for the New York Rangers, I don’t think you can see a negative. It’s just such a first-class organization and a historic organization.”
The transition has been a fun one for Zibanejad. He and his girlfriend jetted to Turks and Caicos with Lundqvist and his wife and Mats Zuccarello and his girlfriend for a couples vacation on their bye week. Besides the odd random in a Rangers cap looking for a high-five, he never gets recognized outside of the one-block radius surrounding Madison Square Garden.
“That’s the nice part about it. You have your hockey side, but when you go home, you’re anonymous,” said Zibanejad, who believes the Sens-obsessed Ottawa market prepared him well for the move.
“Different types of organizations—not better or worse. Coming from a Canadian market to the U.S. market, the stage is so big in New York.”
Zibanejad still stays in touch with Karlsson and Ryan Dzingel via text, and he was quick to check in with Mark Stone when Jacob Trouba delivered a headshot to the Sens forward in February.
On the ice, Zibanejad hasn’t skipped a beat. Despite breaking his fibula in November, he’s producing at the same rate (0.69 points per game) as his best year in Canada.
Of all the Rangers’ explosive young forwards, we asked captain Ryan McDonagh to single out the one who’s impressed him most. Unprompted, he named Zibanejad.
“Big addition for us. Right-handed centreman that has a big body, long reach and a shot element to himself through the middle that we’ve seen him use,” McDonagh explained.
“Certainly his play-making ability has been great, too. He’s definitely made his wingers better and given us another centre down the middle that makes it tough for matchups.”
Saturday night signals Zibanejad’s return game in Ottawa and, due to the timing of his injury, his first time facing the club that drafted him.
What’s more, should both teams survive Round 1, Sens-Rangers could serve as a Round 2 playoff preview.
Zibanejad is happy his old friends are back in the picture, especially considering the coaching and strategic overhaul, but is focusing on the squad in blue.
“Second-last game of the season. It’s fun. It’s something that’s going to be exciting. Emotional to come back to Ottawa and see all the fans and friends but not be in a red sweater,” he said.
“I just gotta make sure I don’t pass it to them.”
