Analyst Links Rangers' Mika Zibanejad to Maple Leafs

After averaging 30 goals a year for the past seven seasons, Mika Zibanejad is having, like the rest of the New York Rangers, a troubling season, to say the least. With just six goals and 21 points in 36 games, he personifies the collapse of the team this season.

But at the age of just 31, it's safe to assume he isn't exactly washed up at this point. And if the Rangers are tempted to make more franchise-shaking decisions, Zibanejad could be on the firing line. He has another 5+ years to run on his $8.5 million AAV contract.

So which teams are desperate for another solid center to plug into their lineup? The Toronto Maple Leafs are right at the top of that list. It's especially evident with the frequent absences of Auston Matthews this season.

For Tuesday night's game, for instance, David Kampf (one goal, five points this season and severely offensively limited) is slotted in as the second-line center. Forward Max Domi, playing out of position, is the 3C. The Leafs simply must add a productive center to make the kind of deep playoff run they're hoping for.

Insider Elliotte Friedman announced on The Fan Hockey Show on Monday that the Leafs' preference is not a rental. "One of the things I've heard is that if they're going to spend assets on a center, they prefer somebody with term."

Yes, 5+ years is perhaps more term (and more cap hit) than they might have in mind, but analyst Nick Alberga of The Leafs Nation has followed that up and proposed that the Buds take a run at Zibanejad.

It would be a complicated deal to put together, but at the very least, I think the Leafs should inquire on Mika Zibanejad’s availability.
One source with strong knowledge of the situation indicated to me that the 31-year-old pivot is available for trade and is willing to waive his no movement clause for the right spot.
On paper, for all intents and purposes, Zibanejad would tick a lot of boxes for Craig Berube and company up the middle. He’s big, he’s dynamic, he shoots right, and maybe most notably, he’s not a ghost in the postseason. In 74 career playoff games, the Swede has tallied 63 points.

From a salary cap perspective for Toronto, especially with the extension negotiations ongoing with Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies, calling this a "complicated deal" is an understatement. But if the Rangers are desperate enough to blow things up, perhaps they could retain enough on Zibanejad's cap hit to make it doable.

The Leafs have to do something significant at center. It's certainly an avenue to consider.