New York Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury made a lot of moves this season, trading away Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Jacob Trouba, Victor Mancini, Jimmy Vesey, and Ryan Lindgren while adding J.T. Miller, Will Borgen, Urho Vaakanainen, Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan, and Carson Soucy. He decided to hold onto defenseman Zac Jones, who spent a large portion of the season as a healthy scratch but should get an opportunity to play a bigger role with star defenseman Adam Fox on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
For Jones This Season
Jones struggled defensively early last season but stepped up and played well when Lindgren and Erik Gustafsson missed time later in the season. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he relied on his positioning defensively and showed flashes of offensive skill, finishing with two goals, seven assists, and was plus-1 in 31 games. Despite playing his best down the stretch, head coach Peter Laviolette opted to play Gustafsson over him in the postseason.
This season, Laviolette benched Jones in favor of Mancini and then opted to play Borgen and Vaakanainen over him after acquiring them in separate trades. Though Jones has not gotten exposed defensively, he has yet to break out offensively. He has one goal, nine assists, and is plus-3 in 33 games. A few seasons ago, he put up impressive numbers with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American League (AHL), finishing with nine goals and 26 assists in 52 games in 2021-22 and eight goals and 23 assists in 54 games in 2022-23.
Early this season, Jones rarely got ice time on the power play, but he should get his chance with Fox out. The Rangers have not gotten much production from their other defensemen, and K’Andre Miller leads the team’s healthy blueliners in points this season with 17. Jones is capable of playing the point on the power play, and the team needs him to get shots through traffic and on goal.
Though Jones has played a bit cautiously at even strength, the Rangers need him to be more aggressive now and look to create offense. He had an assist on Artemi Panarin’s goal in the team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on March 5.
Jones’ Long-Term Future
Though Jones should play an important role on the Rangers down the stretch this season, they could still look to trade him in the offseason. They signed Borgen to a five-year extension earlier this season and signed Vaakanainen to a two-year extension just before the trade deadline. Additionally, Soucy’s contract lasts through next season. Miller is set to become a restricted free agent and will most likely be back, given that he has remained a top-four defenseman since his rookie season in 2020-21.
Those contracts could make it difficult for Jones to get playing time next season, and he is set to become a restricted free agent after this season. He has done a nice job when he has gotten opportunities for the Rangers but has primarily played on the third defense pair without getting much ice time on the man advantage. This is an opportunity for him to show he is ready to play a bigger role.
If Jones plays well to finish this season, he could force his way into the lineup next season. If not, it would raise his trade value, and it could earn him an opportunity with another team. Like Kakko with the Seattle Kraken, a fresh start on a team that is willing to let him play a bigger role could be best for Jones.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
Despite inconsistent play and injuries to key players, the Rangers are in the playoff race and have enough talent to win games while Fox is out. They have a star goaltender in Igor Shesterkin and a lot of skilled forwards on their top two lines. Jones will be a key player for them down the stretch, and he has the opportunity to earn a bigger role next season.
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