New York Rangers forward officially set to step away from the organization following latest announcement

The official Olympic roster dropped on Friday morning, and Zibanejad was on it as expected. Sweden's federation and NHL.com both published the final 25-player group, ending weeks of guessing.

The federation called it a roster built entirely from NHL clubs, and it noted 20 Olympic debuts in the group. This is Sweden's first Olympics with NHL players since 2014.

If you want the stakes, Sweden owns Olympic gold from 1994 and 2006, plus nine total men's medals. This team is being picked to contend, not just show up with a nice sweater.

Zibanejad fits the template because he handles hard minutes without looking panicked. The 32-year-old was the sixth overall pick in 2011 by Ottawa, and his special-teams touch still shows.

He's sitting at 12 goals and 30 points while playing 41 games this season, with seven power-play goals on the board.

On a short tournament runway, coaches love centers who can win a draw, protect the middle, and get pucks out clean. Give him a winger like Filip Forsberg or William Nylander, and suddenly, Sweden can roll matchups without cheating defensively.

The best version of him is simple: quick support on exits, one touch through the neutral zone, and a hard stop in the slot when plays die. If that version rides into February and comes back to Broadway, it sets a tone the Rangers badly need.

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