Mika Zibanejad's future in New York is potentially in doubt however a new report from David Pagnotta shows that he doesn't intend to leave the Rangers anytime soon.
This NHL offseason has seen a lot of changes from several teams, and there continues to be rumors upon rumors regarding some of the best players in the league including Erik Karlsson, Dougie Hamilton, and Bryan Rust.
One team who already got a head start on making some changes are the New York Rangers, and after trading away Chris Kreider, as well as Jacob Trouba and also got rid of Ryan Lindgren, K'Andre Miller and Filip Chytil amongst others.
Managing to stick around so far is Mika Zibanejad, even though the veteran forward has been involved in trade talks since last year's deadline. He would arguably be New York's most involved offensive player now, though if things go awry they might be wanting to move on.
What the Insider Reported on Zibanejad's Future
However, a new report from David Pagnotta shows that regardless of if the Rangers want to get rid of him, he's got no intentions of leaving:
Zibanejad has a no move clause, and they've explored that around the league, but he's been pretty adamant he doesn't wanna move.
Zibanejad, 32, had 62 points in 82 games last season (20 goals, 42 assists) but has 740 points in 930 career games with Ottawa and New York.
It seems that Rangers fans are hoping for an acceleration of their rebuild, which involves trading Zibanejad and are furious that he isn't entertaining any offers:
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How Zibanejad's Stance Could Quietly Affect the Leafs
Well, cross another off the list. Add Zibanejad to the list of Maple Leafs targets who have no intention of leaving which includes Rasmus Ristolainen; another target last season who could have been a huge addition to the team.
But knowing that there are several players with these no-movement clauses, it makes a trade even harder to complete not only because a) Toronto has a lack of premium assets but also b) play in the hardest and most criticized market in the entire league.
If a player does want to move, it's very rare he wants to move to Toronto, where fan and media pressure runs rampant, and the taxes are higher meaning a bit of a lower pay at the end of things.
It's going to get frustrating very quickly for Brad Treliving if he tries to make offers but gets repeatedly shut down by no movement clauses which in turn will unfairly paint him as someone who couldn't get a deal done; but maybe there wasn't a deal to be made.
So if other players follow in Zibanejad's footsteps, it's going to be a long season for Toronto come the trade market, and even tougher trying to land the big fish in 2026.