INSIGHT: Contract comparables for Zibanejad

Despite being criticized by head coach Alain Vigneault in his post-season media availability, New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad had a terrific first season in Broadway. Acquired last offseason from the Ottawa Senators for fan favorite Derick Brassard, Zibanejad wasted no time winning over Rangers fans, but was quickly knocked down a peg due to a devastating leg injury.

All told, the 24 year-old Swede put up 14 goals and 37 points in 56 games with the Rangers in 2016-17, the final year of his two-year, $5.250 million contract. He’s certainly earned a raise over the $2.625 million he’s earned each of the past two seasons, but the question is by how much?

Conveniently, an easy contract comparison already exists within the Rangers  organization: Derek Stepan. The Rangers signed Stepan to a six year contract worth $6.5 million annually at age 24, but admittedly Stepan’s point production had been greater than Zibanejad’s has to this point. Still, Stepan’s deal represents a possibility for Zibanejad’s next contract. 

Or, how about St Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz? Like Stepan, he also signed a long-term deal at age 24 after a couple seasons of increasing productivity. In his case, he earned a five-year deal with a $5.35 million cap hit. Might this be the better comparison?

Likely, the answer for “how much do the Rangers pay Zibanejad?” lies somewhere between Stepan’s deal and Schwartz’s deal. What do you think? It may be significantly more than the $4.5 million that Rangers fans are hoping for, but in the long run could really end up benefitting a team that will be in dire need of skill for the duration of the big Swede’s new deal.