Scratching Mika Zibanejad last night sure did anger a few folks. For those who missed it, Zibanejad missed a team meeting before yesterday’s morning skate, and was subsequently scratched for last night’s 4-1 loss to Anaheim in Chris Kreider’s return to MSG. Naturally the fan base was split on the impact scratching Mika Zibanejad would have and whether it was the right decision. It’s one of those situations where there’s no wrong answer.
Scratching Mika Zibanejad was fine in a vacuum
1. With no other inputs into the equation and with no outside influence or past incidents to work with, scratching Mika Zibanejad was the right decision. Team rules are team rules and they apply to everyone with no exceptions. Zibanejad missed a team meeting, and even though he made it to the morning skate, and the rules applied to him. It doesn’t matter if he hit traffic or if the roads were bad. Everyone else made it to the meeting in the same conditions.
Zibanejad is an adult. He didn’t leave himself enough time to get to practice. It’s a mistake. It happens. This is owning his mistake.
2. Accountability is a funny thing. Again in a vacuum without any other inputs to the situation, scratching Mika Zibanejad was fine. He was held accountable for missing the meeting. The nuance above is a valid point, but in the end a rule is a rule and again Zibanejad is an adult who made a mistake. The consequence was missing the game.
For over a decade, people have asked for accountability, especially towards veterans. But when it happened, all of a sudden it was “no, not like that.” The counter argument that it wasn’t “on the ice” is very flawed. A team is a team on and off the ice. It’s part of the new culture that comes with Mike Sullivan. If you want a new culture, one that gets buy-in from everyone, then the rules apply to everyone.
On the ice. Off the ice. It doesn’t matter. All rules apply to all players. That’s accountability. You can’t be selective about it.
3. Yes, scratching Mika Zibanejad was the right decision. The Rangers can’t score even with him in the lineup, so scratching Mika Zibanejad wasn’t some big thing that cost the Rangers the game. He’s been their best forward by a country mile this year because he looks re-engaged and has returned to form as a solid two-way player who can play center or wing.
The problem with the Rangers isn’t defense or two-way play. It’s offense. It’s the powerplay. Scratching Mika Zibanejad didn’t help the Rangers at all, but it’s not like the Rangers were scoring with him anyway.
But, as always, there’s more to it
4. The best question, and one that I’m sure many of us thought almost immediately, was about Artemi Panarin’s sexual assault allegations last year and why he was never scratched. This is extremely valid and it’s horrifying how the NHL has such a double standard with team meetings and actual legal issues. But, and there’s always a but, we don’t know the terms of the NDAs signed and we don’t know whether scratching/punishing Panarin was even on the table. Without knowing the terms, we can’t really compare.
To be abundantly clear: This is not defending Panarin. I want him gone. This is stating there are legal questions that I–and frankly, 99% of the folks making these comments–don’t have answers to and don’t understand what can and can’t be said and/or done.
It’s apples and oranges in comparing scratching Mika Zibanejad to Panarin’s SA settlement and NDAs signed.
5. Mike Sullivan didn’t exactly help with nipping conspiracy theories in the bud with his postgame presser either. Per Mollie Walker (I refuse to link to Twitter, but the quote is there), Sully was asked if this was a repeat offense, thus resulting in scratching Mika Zibanejad.
“Listen, I’m not going to get into l specifics on why we make decisions the way we made them, OK? We believe strongly in a process that we’ve put in place here for our team, and it’s as simple as that.”
It is easy to read that and, since Sully didn’t say this was a one time thing, assume Zibanejad has been late multiple times. But Sully also can’t comment on things that he wasn’t here for. We again don’t know if this was Zibanejad’s first time ever missing a meeting, first time this season, multiple times this season, multiple times in the past. We don’t know. Making up conspiracy theories doesn’t help.
6. Though there were two conspiracy theories related to scratching Mika Zibanejad that made me laugh, simply because of how far fetched they are.
The first: “Mika was out drinking with Kreider and was hungover.”
The second: “The Rangers want Mika to waive his no-move clause so they embarrassed him.”
I laughed. Not because they are funny, but because of the hoops some people will jump through to create their own narrative and then defend it.
7. This is a blip. If scratching Mika Zibanejad becomes a trend, then we revisit. For now, it’s a one time thing and everyone within the Rangers has moved on. We should too.
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