Zac Jones Gets His Wish and Will Suit up for The New York Rangers this month
Photo credit: Blue Shirt Blogs
Zac Jones has finally gotten his wish this month, after a rant that echoed his frustration about not getting a shot in the lineup, it's happened. The Rangers need reinforcements, and one of those players is Jones, who will bolster the blueline while Fox and Miller are away.
Jones will finally have another shot in the lineup after injuries have plagued the Rangers camp.
As Adam Fox and K'Andre Miller are both out with upper and lower-body injuries, the team will have to plunder their depth in order to stay in the playoff hunt.
«It's frustrating when you think you're doing some things well and it's just, you just keep getting taken out, taken out, taken out,» Jones said in early January. «I just feel like I'm rotting away a little bit.
» I'm a guy who wants to earn my paycheck. I need to play. I have things I need to improve in order to be a full-time player and that's what I want to be, I want to be a guy who plays 82 games and be in the lineup every night. I get that there are decisions to be made but, you know, it just sucks when it's always you.».
» I'm a guy who wants to earn my paycheck. I need to play. I have things I need to improve in order to be a full-time player and that's what I want to be, I want to be a guy who plays 82 games and be in the lineup every night. I get that there are decisions to be made but, you know, it just sucks when it's always you.».
One of those players who will get another look in the NHL is 24-year-old Zac Jones, who went on a frustrated rant over his lack of playing time in the NHL.
Later, the Rangers would demote him to the Hartford Wolfpack to ensure he got the proper playing time he wasn't seeing in the NHL.
The defenseman has seen spurts of NHL play throughout his career accumulating 97 games while shuttling between the AHL and big league simultaneously.
Jones remained on the Blueshirts roster as a depth player throughout 2023-24 and mostly impressed in an NHL career-high 31 games, averaging 14:38 TOI and recording nine points (one goal, eight assists) and a plus-1 rating.
And it seems once again he is the reliable call-up for the Rangers, who is a fill-in when the star players are out of the lineup.
Jones will not take over Fox's duties on the power-play, but will instead be shuffled into the lineup with his familiar third-pairing partner, Braden Schneider.
The 1st power-play unit has instead gone a full five-forward operating unit, and a sign that Jones hasn't earned Laviolette's trust quite yet.
«Great timing - 'Jonesy' had gone down (to the AHL) and played I think 25, 28, 30 minutes in games, and got some game conditioning under his belt, so I though that was really good,» Laviolette said after practice Thursday. «Comes back here, he looks good in practice, and so opportunities for others to step up.»
Jones will get his first look in the Rangers lineup after a short two-game conditioning stint in Hartford.
He hasn't been seen in Rangers colors since February 7th, before the break.
Will Laviolette have to shelter him in the lineup, as the trust hasn't been earned yet between coach and player? We'll have to see.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
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