During the preseason, Rangers’ prospect Zac Jones had an opportunity to win a spot in the team’s starting lineup but was beaten out by veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Now, with blueliners Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren both out with lower-body injuries, Jones is in the lineup, and this is the best he has looked in the NHL.
Jones’ Play
In his freshman year at UMass-Amherst, in 2019-20, Jones had three goals and 20 assists in 32 games. In 2020-21, he had nine goals and 15 assists in 29 games and helped his school win their first NCAA title.
Jones’ impressive skating and offensive skills made him one of the Rangers’ top prospects. He played well with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) but struggled in the NHL. He had nine goals and 26 assists in 2021-22 in 52 AHL games and had eight goals and 23 assists in 54 AHL games last season.
Jones collected one goal and seven assists in 38 games in his first three NHL seasons but struggled defensively. He is only 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds and got outmuscled in front of the net while also making poor decisions that led to scoring chances against the Rangers.
Related: Rangers’ Understated Prospect Drew Fortescue Developing at BC
This season, Jones stayed in the NHL as a seventh defenseman, but he did get some playing time early in the season with Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve. He made some defensive mistakes and did not generate a lot of offense, while Gustafsson played very well with Fox out of the lineup. Jones got back in the lineup for a few games in January and played an excellent game in a 7-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 27. He had one goal and one assist and made a few key defensive plays, breaking up cross-ice passes.
Since returning to the lineup on Mar. 9, Jones has continued to play like he did against Ottawa. He looks much more comfortable joining the rush and making plays in the offensive zone. He also uses his speed to create offense and return to a defensive position. He has two assists in eight games since returning but has consistently generated chances.
More impressively, Jones is holding his own in the defensive zone, using his positioning and quickness to make plays. He has even broken up a couple of odd-man rushes. Despite a tough schedule, his strong play of late is one of the reasons the Rangers have won six of their last eight games. They only allowed 19 goals in those eight games, and two were empty netters.
The Rangers’ Situation on Defense
Despite Jones’ strong play, he may end up as a healthy scratch once Trouba and Lindgren return to the lineup, but he is certainly making a case to stay. His offensive ability and skating have never been in doubt, and now he has improved dramatically defensively.
While Gustafsson had an excellent start to this season, he has cooled down and started making more defensive mistakes. The Rangers are his seventh team in the last five seasons, and his defensive struggles have made him a healthy scratch before. If those issues resurface, Jones could get an opportunity to replace him.
Additionally, Jones beat out newly acquired defensive defenseman Chad Ruhwedel for a spot in the lineup while Trouba was out, but Lindgren was healthy. Despite solid play from the veteran in his first few games with the Rangers, Jones appears at the very least to be the team’s seventh defenseman when all of their defensemen are healthy.
For Jones Moving Forward
With Lindgren out for a few weeks, Jones will continue to get playing time, and the Rangers need him to keep playing well. His improved defensive play has been key, and he should start to get more points if he continues generating scoring opportunities as he has in the past eight games. With the team missing two of its top four defensemen, he is stepping up and making the most of his opportunity.