Vincent Trocheck’s injury has Rangers ripple effect for Mika Zibanejad

PITTSBURGH — The Mika Zibanejad wing operation has been put on hold amid news that Vincent Trocheck will be unavailable to the Rangers for the foreseeable future. 

Trocheck is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the team announced, after the second-line center exited in the second period of Friday night’s shutout win in Buffalo.

The loss is a considerable blow to a Blueshirts lineup that is already thin down the middle. 

“He’s a tough guy to replace,” Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said ahead of his first game back in Pittsburgh Saturday night. “He’s an extremely talented guy, plays in a lot of key situations for us. One of our best center icemen in the faceoff circle. Plays in every situation, power play, the penalty kill, and a part of our top six. Those guys aren’t easy to replace, but it’s going to provide opportunities for others to step up and we’ll see what we have. 

“I think we have what it takes to create some balance and we’re going to try to do as best we can until we get Troch back.”

So after just two games and an entire offseason of contemplation over where to play Zibanejad, Sullivan opted to move the Swede back into the top center job he’s occupied for a majority of his tenure in New York. 

Zibanejad skated on the right wing of J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle in both the season-opener and the Rangers’ second game in Buffalo, which was essentially a continuation of his role toward the end of last season.

The switch to the wing was made right after the Rangers reacquired Miller on Jan. 31, and it remained in place for a majority of the rest of the season. 

Both the first two contests saw an encouraging performance from Zibanejad, who put pucks on net and was generally involved for 60 minutes.

A switch back to the middle, however, could be better for the Rangers in the long run. 

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The 32-year-old Zibanejad lined up between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere Saturday night. 

“Because I think we need balance,” Sullivan said of his decision. “We need to give some of our other offensive people a center iceman that can think the game at their level and give them an opportunity to set them up for success. I feel like when we have J.T. and Mika in our top two center positions, and now we surround them with some of the people that we have that we think are gifted offensively, those two guys can think the game along those terms. So I just think the balance part of it is an important element. 

“We feel like, when Troch was out of the lineup, it was a necessary choice to put Mika back in the middle.”

Trocheck’s injury snapped his streak of 250 consecutive games played, which was the 15th-longest active streak in the NHL. 

His absence will be felt in nearly every aspect of the Rangers’ game, from the power play, penalty kill, the faceoff circle and more.

Lafreniere took over Trocheck’s spot on the top power play unit, which promoted Noah Laba into the second group with Cuylle, Conor Sheary, Matt Rempe and Braden Schneider. 

It’s unclear just how many weeks Trocheck will be out, but there will likely be an adjustment period. 

“It sucks,” Miller said of losing Trocheck. “He’s such a big part of the team, leader for the team. Plays in all situations. But just his presence being around — it’s been a short time, it’s only been half a day, and it’s already a crappy feeling. I know what he means to this group and especially not just his play, but his presence in the room. It’s a good time to lean on other people and the rest of the guys to pick up some slack here. 

“We’re going to need guys to pull a little more tonight and for whatever happens in the future, but he’s definitely going to be missed.”