Former New York Rangers center and fan favorite Brian Boyle criticized forward after his underwhelming season. Top star and the Rangers both struggled, missing the playoffs while the Swedish forward had a disappointing year. Following the season, Boyle expressed his concerns about his work ethic and performance.
Boyle emphasized that his focus should be on playing his role—center ice, scoring goals, and contributing to the power play—not on management decisions or potential trades. “Your job is to play center ice, score goals, and be a power-play guy. You’re a leader, and you wear a letter on this team. You can’t worry about what management is doing, just focus on your teammates,” Boyle said.
Boyle feels that Zibanejad’s attention was distracted from improving his own performance, and he needs to focus solely on playing better. Zibanejad, who has five years left on his eight-year, $68 million contract, posted 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points over 82 games this season.
Zibanejad Was Called Out by Another Former Rangers Player
Boyle wasn’t the only former Rangers player to call out Mika Zibanejad.
During the 2024-25 NHL season, former fan-favorite Sean Avery also criticized Zibanejad. After a lackluster shift and game, Avery took to social media to express his frustration, accusing Zibanejad of lacking effort.
“Alright, let’s watch Mika Zibanejad do nothing for 20 seconds, bottom of the screen here, 93 blue,” Avery remarked. “There he is, okay he’s going to hide, looking for easy backdoor plays, doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. I don’t know what the (expletive) that was, okay Mika, DJing in Ibiza all summer, here we go, bear down Mika, bear down Mika, season’s started Mika.”
Zibanejad, acquired by the Rangers in 2016 from the Ottawa Senators, is a one-time NHL All-Star.
Mika Zibanejad Frustrated by His Play
Zibanejad, who faced criticism from Boyle, Avery, and Rangers fans alike, acknowledges he needs to improve.
Following the Rangers’ failure to make the playoffs, Zibanejad expressed his dissatisfaction with his performance during the end-of-season press conference.
“I’m not happy with the season as a whole,” Zibanejad said. “I know this wasn’t the season I wanted. That’s on me. I’ve got a few months now to make sure I take advantage of this time and get ready for next season.”
Zibanejad admitted that his lack of confidence throughout the season negatively impacted his performance.
“There was more to it than that, but obviously, the confidence takes a hit,” he said. “If you’ve followed me, you can tell what makes me good and how I play when I’m at my best – when I play freely. But I didn’t feel like I did that in the first three months.”
Zibanejad finished the season with the lowest goal total of his career since the 2016-17 season, when he played just 56 games.