TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Mike Sullivan made it a point to visit Mika Zibanejad in Sweden after taking over as coach of the New York Rangers, one of his many summer excursions intended to get to know players better.
Beyond meeting family and spending some quality time away from the rink, Sullivan learned of the affinity Zibanejad had grown for playing alongside center J.T. Miller, the team’s new captain who expressed the same opinion.
So when training camp opens Thursday, Sullivan figures to start Zibanejad — who has played the vast majority of his NHL career at center — on Miller’s right wing.
“These guys are important guys for our team, so common sense would suggest that maybe we start there and see if that’s in the best interest for the group,” Sullivan said Wednesday at a news conference alongside general manager Chris Drury on the eve of the first practice sessions. “For me, that makes a whole lot of sense to start there and then make decisions from there.”
This camp is Sullivan’s first chance to put his stamp on a roster that underachieved significantly last season and missed the playoffs. That cost Peter Laviolette his job less than a year since coaching the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals, and now Sullivan is being counted on to bring out the best in them.
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“It starts with the communication, just the time and effort he’s put in to get to know these players [and] giving the group, including himself and his staff, a chance to hit the ground running just by relationship building throughout the summer,” Drury said. “Different travels here and there to get to know players, it was time well spent, and I think it’s going to give us a chance to get off to a good start in training camp.”
Sullivan brings with him gravitas and an impressive résumé, headlined by winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He has some familiarity with players on his roster, namely Miller, forward Vincent Trocheck and defenseman Adam Fox, from their time together with the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off but has put a strong emphasis on building connections — particularly with veteran leaders.
“It’s an important aspect of coaching,” Sullivan said. “It starts with relationships, and I wanted to give these guys an opportunity to get to know me a little bit and I wanted to have a chance to get to know them a little bit. Quite honestly, the conversation a lot of times revolved around building a partnership. We all want the same thing, and we want to win and we have to work together to make that happen.”
Winning when the season begins Oct. 7 against the Penguins, whom Sullivan spent the past decade with, will take more than what just he, Miller and Zibanejad can accomplish. New York is relying on Fox and free agent addition Vladislav Gavrikov to blend their games on defense and goaltender Igor Shesterkin to be the backbone in net.
But every decision has consequences, and Sullivan knows that. Sliding Zibanejad from center to wing opens a huge void at what could be a position of great strength.
“If we put him in the middle, we arguably have three of the best centers, the 1-2-3 down the middle with J.T., Mika and [Trocheck],” Sullivan said. “In my mind, that’s as good as it gets. The challenge is, do we have what it takes to surround them with [wingers] to create the balance we need and set them up for success.”
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