Back to the New York Rangers Newsfeed

Amid struggles, Mika Zibanejad could get dropped from first line

Rangers' Mika Zibanejad attempts to control the puck from the ice during the second period against the Washington Capitals on Feb. 4, 2021. Credit: AP/Bruce Bennett

There’s been no question how much Mika Zibanejad’s all-around play and leadership have meant to the Rangers over the last three seasons. But while the 27-year-old Swede struggles to put points on the board early in this season, have things gotten so bad that coach David Quinn would actually consider dropping his No. 1 center in the lineup?

In a word, yes.

"That's something we would do, and he and I talked about that yesterday,’’ Quinn said before the Rangers hosted the East Division-leading Boston Bruins onWednesday at Madison Square Garden.