Surprising New York Rangers defenseman set to steal a permanent roster spot

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Joshua Deeds
November 20, 2024 (6:17 PM)

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The New York Rangers have had a good problem, they had to decide whether they would place Victor Mancini, or Zac Jones into the lineup as a regular.

They were sharing the position for a period of time until Head Coach Peter Laviolette would make the final decision.

Instead of going with Mancini, he decided that Zac Jones fit the Rangers lineup better at this time. Opting to send Mancini to get some more seasoning in the AHL, leaving Jones to finally get a spot in the NHL.

Something he's worked for, as a 200-foot player and has given Laviolette a reason to trust him.

Sunday was Jones' 11th appearance of the season and sixth in a row, after head coach Peter Laviolette opted to stick with rookie Victor Mancini when Ryan Lindgren returned from injury at the end of October.

Jones only broke into the NHL a little over three years ago, yet has had to deal with obstacles along the way.

Including Ryan Lindgren's return to the lineup, which saw him ride pine in the press box. This was until after the decision to send Mancini to the AHL was made.

It was tough for him to cope with the fact he'd have to compete with a new defenseman for a spot after training camp, but he has solidified his role with the Rangers now.

«It sucked,» Jones told The Post after the Rangers practiced Monday at Rogers Arena, ahead of their matchup with the Canucks on Tuesday. «Obviously, you want to play, you don't want to be out of the lineup, but I tried to take it more as a reset this year. Last year, I feel like I kind of would've taken it more personally. Why is he doing this? What's the reasoning? Just thinking about it too much.

«Whereas this year, I was kind of like, 'Alright, let's relax a little bit.' Reset the mind, the body and just get ready to go whenever that next opportunity is and make it so he can't take you out of the lineup.»

Jones's stellar play saw him create offense against the Seattle Kraken, and of course , has been a great transition defenseman. He's capable of not only scoring goals but break-outs, and creating zone-entries.

«We were effective at getting the puck out and quickly moving the puck through the neutral zone,» Laviolette said. «I think that's an important part of playing the game, advancing zones and playing fast. [Jones] is a guy who does like to skate with the puck. The messaging is kind of the same for everybody, but I do think that is one of his strengths, is his skating and puck mobility.»

His pairing with Braden Schneider has seen the Rangers benefit from the duo, who have both sides of the ice covered with offensive and sound defensive play.

In their last six games together, according to Natural Stat Trick, Jones and Schneider have been on the ice for seven Rangers goals and just one against.

The Rangers have out-attempted opponents 42-36 and held a 19-9 advantage in high-danger chances with those two on the ice.

Jones may have to contend with a defenseman who may be brought in during the trade deadline. It would give him a bit of a curveball to work with, as he wants to become a staple in the lineup.

But he feels confident in his abilities to manage the role he's played for the Rangers this season.

«From being in this role the last couple years, it definitely made it easier,» Jones said. «Obviously, last year, being a scratch for most of the year, it just gave me a new perspective on things. Things aren't always going to go your way. You just got to stay ready no matter what it is.

«That was tough for me last year, but I think going through it definitely helped and will help the future player [I become].»

This season, Jones has played 12 games for the Rangers and has scored 5 points( 1 G, 4 A) with a +10 rating. If anything he should pat himself on the back for being a reliable player in Laviolette's system.

It's been an issue with the rest of the defensive pairs, but you don't hear much about Schneider, and Jones.