The New York Rangers placed their faith in defenseman Zac Jones, as they signed him to a two-year deal during the off-season.
Coach Laviolette is also placing his faith in the young defenseman’s abilities as he will have a shot to make the roster out of camp.
Though he hasn’t been able to stay on the roster consistently and has only played a handful of games in the NHL, he will get an honest shot to make the team in 2024-2025.
With a slew of injuries hitting the Rangers roster, the defenseman played 31 games and showed what he was made of. He scored 9 points( 2 G, 7 A), and made Peter Laviolette a fan.
«He’s worked his tail off every practice and every day,» Laviolette said. «He’s gotten an opportunity to jump back in. He’s waited, he’s been patient, worked hard to get the opportunity and he’s jumped back in and played excellent again.»
With the loss of Erik Gustafsson, this gives Jones a chance to slide into the full-time lineup.
According to Laviolette, Jones will get a fair chance to make the lineup:
«Zac Jones got better every single time he played for us,» Laviolette said via NHL.com. «He had to bring that out in himself every time we called his number, and it wasn’t on a consistent basis. When he got the opportunity, he was fantastic. Certainly, he’s going to get a long look in training camp.»
With Jones improving every year, in Hartford, this jump would only make sense for the young defenseman.
He would bring a bit of youth to the defensive core for the Rangers, not a bad thing at all. All the while he’s proven he can handle the intense competition of the NHL and could prove to be a key piece in the lineup in 2024-2025.
This could be the year, Jones becomes a part of the Rangers lineup and makes the jump for good.
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