Ottawa Senators Send Mika Zibanejad Back to Sweden

After playing nine non-descript games in a Senators uniform which included his first career NHL point (an assist), the club has decided that Mika Zibanejad will be better served by playing important minutes in his native Sweden and most likely being a key performer on their World Junior team this December.

Although the popular opinion seemed relatively split among fans, the prevailing opinion was that he isn’t really ready to play consistently at the NHL level, a situation most 18 year olds find themselves in.

Bryan Murray said that he wanted Zibanejad to develop and play important minutes and that Zibanejad had been “playing to survive and not make mistakes”.

With Kaspars Daugavins playing well last night in Carolina and Nikita Filatov lighting up the AHL, there is no shortage of players in line waiting for a crack on the Senators roster.  Although it will delay his transition to the North American game somewhat, the decision is the right one for the club and the player.