NHL: New York Rangers at Florida Panthers - Source: Imagn — Mika Zibanejad reflects on offseason changes as NY Rangers miss playoffs despite win (Source: Imagn)

$68,000,000 NY Rangers forward makes feelings known about the inevitable roster, management changes coming during offseason

Modified Apr 18, 2025 05:03 GMT

The NY Rangers ended their season with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and earned his sixth shutout of the season. Mika Zibanejad scored two goals and added an assist in the game. Vincent Trocheck found the net, and Chris Kreider added to the offense with both a goal and an assist.

The NY Rangers finished the season with a 39-36-7 record. Despite the win, they did not make the playoffs. They were officially eliminated from contention on April 12. This was a big drop-off from last season when they won the Presidents' Trophy.

After the game, Zibanejad spoke about possible changes coming in the offseason. He is signed to an eight-year, $68 million contract. He said changes happen every year, but not all of them are major.

"Some guys in and out” he said. “I get what you're saying, but I try to avoid the question as much as I can. But no, it's part of the business side of things. But I don’t think it necessarily means that you have to just because you can or people tell you you should. I don’t think you have to, but again, that's above my pay grade."

NY Rangers' general manager Chris Drury plans to strengthen the lineup in the offseason.

Mika Zibanejad on NY Rangers' win and playoff miss

Vincent Trocheck opened the scoring for the NY Rangers with a short-handed goal early in the second period. It was his fourth short-handed goal in nine games. The Rangers led the NHL with 18 short-handed goals this season.

Kreider scored in the third period to make it 2-0. Zibanejad scored his first goal of the game at 12:50 and then added another at 16:24. His second goal was his 20th of the season.

Zibanejad spoke about how strange it felt not to be preparing for the playoffs.

“Kind of empty,” he said (via NHL.com). “...I’m used to gearing up for playoffs, but that’s not the case now.”

He also said it felt good to win the final game.

"Any time you get to win a hockey game it's fun," Zibanejad said. "It's way more fun to leave the rink having won the last game than playing poorly and gotten killed out there. I'm just happy we won. … It was the best way you could end a season like this."

Tampa Bay’s Jonas Johansson made 19 saves. The Lightning have already secured a playoff spot, and they will face the Florida Panthers in the first round. Game 1 will be on Tuesday at Amalie Arena.

About the author

Abhilasha is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, her interest in writing hockey was piqued after watching an NHL skills video on YouTube. The 2023 Stanley Cup Finale series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was among the most iconic games she has seen and it left an impact on her.

Her reporting strengths include covering news stories and following stars like McDavid, Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, among others.

Abhilasha is a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche because of their skilled forwards, while her favorite players include Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. For her, John Tortorella is the greatest coach ever.

Abhilasha has over 3 years of experience writing content for different products and websites, along with handling social media content for various brands. She values using credible sources when writing and likes to identify fake and false narratives.

Abhilasha’s hobbies include spiritual reading, staying updated on the latest makeup trends, fitness and exploring new destinations through travel.

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