It has been a long time coming for Mika Zibanejad, who is returning to the city of Ottawa that he called home for four years for the first time since his summer trade to the Rangers.
“I’m excited, anxious, a little nervous, and have the entire range of emotions you would expect,” Zibanejad told The Post following Friday’s practice at the club’s training center before the flight north in advance of Saturday’s match against the Senators. “I haven’t been back since I left for training camp, so it’s going to be fun seeing a lot of my friends on Friday night and then playing on Saturday.
“I haven’t even played against them yet, missing the two games at the Garden with the injury. It’s going to be different, for sure, but fun.”
It is the broken fibula, which Zibanejad sustained sliding into the boards in a gruesome manner on Nov. 20 that sidelined the center for just shy of two months, that makes it so difficult for anyone to properly evaluate his season.
“I think the adjustment to New York and to the Rangers has gone well, but the one specific thing I wanted to focus on was being more consistent with my game and that was hard to do with such a long absence,” Zibanejad said. “I think I was playing really well when I got hurt, the first game or two after I came back was good because of all the adrenaline and excitement, but then I dipped for a while.
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“So for the season, some was good and some was not as good, but I think I’m going in the right direction again.”
Zibanejad, who presumably will center Rick Nash and either J.T. Miller or Jimmy Vesey on the Blueshirts’ second line, has recorded 34 points (13-21) in 54 games. He has not scored a five-on-five goal since his first game back from the injury on Jan. 17, when he got a pair against Dallas. His last four goals have come on the power play and the two prior to that in three-on-three overtime.
“It was a challenge coming back from that injury. It took time for me to get over it from a mental perspective,” Zibanejad said. “But it hasn’t been in the back of my mind for at least a few weeks. I feel good. I’m back to playing my game.”
Zibanejad can be a lethal passer. His shot can be a weapon, certainly from the off-side left circle on the power play. He is strong on faceoffs. And he sure can skate. The Rangers need him to win his one-on-ones in order to establish a puck-possession game and to improve in his own end.
“We saw Mika making big strides as far as his competitiveness and his competitiveness on the puck, but then he had a real serious injury for a guy probably whose best skillset is his skating,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “We’ve seen the signs of a good playmaker with good speed who has addressed his puck-battle issues.”
Zibanejad’s first year on Broadway ultimately will be measured by his work in the playoffs, in which he has a career total of eight points (2-6) in 16 games with the Senators. It will not be forgotten that Derick Brassard earned the nickname Big Game Brass by hitting a succession of high notes while leading the Rangers in playoff scoring with 44 points (18-26) in 59 games in his four tournaments wearing the Blueshirt.
“Of course I am aware of what he did in the playoffs, but they didn’t bring me here to be the next Brass,” Zibanejad said. “It’s very important for me to play well, but I don’t compare myself to him. I have my own game. I can only focus on that, not on any talk that’s going around.
“There are a lot of players on this team with a lot of playoff experience. My two times there, I was learning. I’m sure I still will be, but I’m really excited about it and looking forward to it. This a high-reward time of the year.”
And according to Vigneault, it can be Zibanejad’s time.
“I think this is the perfect opportunity here with the playoffs just around the corner for Mika to establish himself as a top-notch player and top-notch centerman,” the coach said. “The pressure is on and the opportunity is there. I have a lot of confidence in Mika. He works extremely hard and it will be his time to show what he can do on the bigger stage.”