Will Zibanejad Age Gracefully?

Workshop 38 Recording

Today’s newsletter workshop is a collaboration with Ryan Lennon, a Brock Sports Management student and former OHL analyst.

The plan:

1. Ryan presents research on a relevant & timely hockey topic

2. We get together to discuss his findings

3. I dig deeper and share additional insights based on my NHL experience

The topic for this week is Mika Zibanejad, recently signed by the New York Rangers to an eight year contract extension that will pay him to be the team’s number-one center until age 36. It’s a risky gamble, but is it one that can pay off?

Shayna @hayyyshayyy

The Rangers sign Mika Zibanejad for 8 years x ~$8.5M AAV. The cap hit is lower than expected and should stay above his market value over the next couple of seasons. The later years with any long-term contract for a 28 year old could be tricky.

In the two videos below, Ryan and I discuss:

1. What’s Zibanejad’s history?

2. Who are his closest comparables?

3. What are his strengths and weaknesses?

4. How well can he be expected to age?