Ottawa Senators Decide to Keep Mika Zibanejad despite Sweden's Complaints -NHL Update
Team Sweden and its coach, Roger Ronnberg, had expressed dissatisfaction over the Ottawa Senators move to keep their top prospect, Mika Zibanejad, in North America during the World Junior Championship and despite hearing their requests out, the National
Hockey League (NHL) franchise is not moving back on its stance.
The Senators believe that Zibanejad would learn more by continuing to play in the American Hockey League (AHL), with their minor league affiliates, the Binghamton Senators, instead of having him play abroad in Ufa, Russia.
Zibanejad became a Swedish national hero as he led his national team to the top position this past year and keeping that in mind, the Ottawa Senators decided on keeping him here this time around to play in a more professional atmosphere.
“I have talked to the federation in Sweden and suggested we would talk again,” GM Murray said, in an email to the Citizen Tuesday evening. “Our interest is for Mika and his development and we think he is best served here.”
Even though Ottawa seems to have a fair reason to keep the youngster at bay to continue developing for the next time he sees the major league in play after the lockout comes to an end, Ronnberg is still angered.
“It’s pretty d**n sad to me that Canadians in Ottawa’s management will sit and decide about the Swedish junior national team,” Ronnberg said. “Europeans always have to be on our backs for them over there and that they can dictate and decide about these tournaments.”
Zibanejad, a 19-year-old forward and native of Stockholm, Sweden, was picked up by the Ottawa Senators as the sixth overall back in round-one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first nine games in the major league with Ottawa this past season, registering
one assist to his name.
Another reason for keeping Zibanejad here is due to the fact he is under contract with the Senators as well, to a three-year, $2.775 million deal to be more specific.
While the player has left it up to the Ottawa Senators to decide his fate, it seems like there is no more room for negotiations between the NHL franchise and Team Sweden.
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