Greater expectations begets more pressure. Mika Zibanejad knows it’s coming, is anticipating the extra weight being put on his shoulders now that he has a five-year, $26.75 million contract and the opportunity to be the Rangers’ No. 1 center.
He won’t internalize his feelings. In preparing for and adjusting to expectations placed on him after Derek Stepan was traded to Arizona, creating a path toward the increased role he desires, he has and will talk with family and friends about what’s going through his head and how to deal with pressure. At times it will be mentally strenuous, but he’s embracing it.
“They’re people I can talk to about anything to kind of get my mind off things and remember why I’m playing,” said Zibanejad, who had two shots in 17:16 during a 2-1 Rangers loss to the Devils Saturday in Newark, his preseason debut after recovering from an illness. “It’s still fun. This opportunity I’m getting is fun, it’s an exciting one. There’s pressure, but it’s a fun opportunity to get. Everyone wants this. You can’t forget that. I think I have the right people around me that are gonna help me get through it. There are gonna be tough times, there are gonna be good times. Just have to be able to work through it. Everything is gonna be a new experience for me in this situation. Just have to go out and play.”
That is a similar message the 24-year-old Zibanejad received from former Senators teammates at Erik Karlsson’s early-August wedding in Ottawa. He picked the brains of some older players not necessarily seeking advice, but wanting them to share their experiences.
“Everyone kept saying the same thing: ‘Just play. Just be yourself,'” Zibanejad said. “I don’t think anyone expects me to change my game. Just evolve and get better.”
Zibanejad said he was “sweating and shaking” throughout the week before training camp started but feels better. In his first season with the Rangers, Zibanejad had 14 goals and 23 assists in 56 games, missing about two months with a broken fibula suffered on Nov. 20. He struggled to begin the playoffs but scored the overtime winner in Game 5 against Montreal and had eight points over the last eight games.
This year he will more often be asked to contain the opposition’s top forwards and perhaps take on more penalty-killing minutes while reprising his power-play role.
“We expect a lot from him, there’s no doubt,” Alain Vigneault said of Zibanejad. “The organization went out and gave that young man a five-year deal, so we’re showing him confidence. In return, we expect performance and results from his end. Very confident that with the right attitude and the right work ethic and dedication that he can live up to our expectations, and hopefully his expectations also.”
***
The Rangers trimmed their camp roster to 38 Saturday afternoon, assigning forwards Ryan Gropp, Malte Stromwall and Adam Tambellini; defensemen Alexei Bereglazov, John Gilmour and Vince Pedrie; and goalies Alexandar Georgiev and Chris Nell to AHL Hartford.
