Mika Zibanejad was on fire in the early going for the New York Rangers.
The newly anointed top-line center registered 22 points in his first 26 games and looked dominant on a line with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich.
And then he suffered a concussion.
After missing nine games with the head injury, Zibanejad wasn’t the same when he returned to the lineup. Over the course of his next 28 games, Zibanejad registered just six goals and three assists and wasn’t nearly as dominant.
And then once his linemate Chris Kreider returned from his surgery for blood clots in his right arm, Zibanejad’s game went back to the way it was in the early going.