Mika Zibanejad scratched tonight, punished for breaking team rules

The New York Rangers had a tough 2024/25 season, but with the hiring of Mike Sullivan in the summer, they were very much hoping that this year could be a major turnaround for the organization.

However, they currently sit at 16-13-4, and while they're in the race in the Eastern Conference through 33 games, it's safe to say that they're still not the threat that they were hoping to be.

One player that's been a key piece of the team somewhat turning things around in 2025/26 has been veteran Mika Zibanejad, who has tallied 11 goals and 25 points through 32 games this season.

Unfortunately, he's set to be a healthy scratch for the teams next game, because according to reports, he broke a team rule by missing a team meeting, with a missed game being the punishment under new Head Coach Sullivan.

It's likely that this is going to be the extent of the punishment for Zibanejad, but for a veteran that's played in 963 games across his NHL career, it's safe to say that there's no excuses to be missing a meeting at this stage of his career.

The Rangers have built their success this season on many veterans and young players alike stepping up, so it's likely that this isn't going to derail things for the team, but if their veterans keep doing things like this, it's not going to be a good year for this organization.