Apr 10, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) celebrates his goal withNew York Rangers left wing J.T. Miller (8) against the New York Islanders during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

The Rangers might not be done trading some big names, as Mika Zibanejad could be following Chris Kreider out of Madison Square Garden this offseason. 

Arthur Staple of The Athletic first reported that such a possibility exists as the Rangers and Zibanejad may have already discussed how “moving on would be best.” This came just days after the Blueshirts shipped Kreider, who spent 13 years with the organization, to the Anaheim Ducks. 

Kreider waived his no-trade clause to join Anaheim, a team with a number of his former teammates and former Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville. 

Zibanejad and Kreider are well-known close friends, and his departure hit the Swedish center particularly hard. 

“You took me in from Day 1. You’ve taught me everything in what it means to be a Ranger,” an excerpt from Zibanejad’s goodbye post on Instagram read. “You’ve always had my back no matter what. From being kids to having kids of our own, it’s a journey that doesn’t end here. This is a friendship for a lifetime, teammates or not.”

The trade between the Rangers and Ducks could very well be a major player in Zibanejad’s future in New York. At locker cleanout day in April, he made it clear that he did not seem too interested in amending his complete no-move clause in his contract.

“I know what my contract says,” Zibanejad said. “Both parties agreed to it.”

But the Rangers are clearly going in a new direction, firing head coach Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs, hiring Mike Sullivan, and general manager Chris Drury continuing to be aggressive on the trade market after his league-wide memo back in November that said his team was open for business. 

It resulted in the mid-season trades of notable players like ex-captain Jacob Trouba, who gets to reunite with Kreider in Anaheim, and former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who was jettisoned to the Seattle Kraken.

Potentially trading Zibanejad, whose 20 goals this season were his lowest since his first year in New York in 2016-17, will not be easy. With five years left on his contract, he has that complete no-move clause in each of the next four years. The final year of his deal in 2029-30 contains a modified no-trade clause. 

All of that carries an average annual value hit of $8.5 million — a sizable number for most teams to take on.

There have been some recent links to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the cap space to fit Zibanejad’s deal within their books and could use the added talent to bolster their forward lines down the middle. John Tavares is a free agent this summer, and Zibanejad would be a younger and potentially more potent option to slot in on the second line behind Auston Matthews and alongside William Nylander. Further money could be freed up if star right-winger Mitch Marner opts to walk in free agency.

For more on Mika Zibanejad and the Rangers, visit AMNY.com