Ex-Ranger Morgan Barron appreciates chance with Jets
Morgan Barron #36 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 31, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Credit: Getty Images
Andrew Copp wasn’t the only player who was looking forward to playing against his old team Tuesday night, when the Rangers faced off against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden. Morgan Barron, the 23-year-old forward who was part of the package the Rangers sent to Winnipeg to get Copp at the trade deadline, was excited about the game as well.
“From the time I was drafted, I spent almost five years in the (Rangers) organization,’’ Barron said after the Jets’ morning skate Tuesday. “So, looking at the schedule after I got traded, when I reported to the (AHL’s Manitoba) Moose, I kind of circled a few games on my calendar that I was hoping I could get (called) up and be with the Jets and be able to play a few games. And this is definitely one of them. So I'm excited to be back here and be playing against them.’’
Barron, a sixth-round pick by the Rangers in 2017, developed into a top prospect while playing college hockey at Cornell, but he wasn’t quite able to earn a regular spot with the Blueshirts in his two professional seasons. He played the final five games of the 2020-21 season with the Rangers, and was up and down between the Rangers and their Hartford farm team this season, playing 13 games for the parent club, with one assist. With Winnipeg, he started out with their Manitoba farm team after the trade, before being called up to the NHL team March 31. He had played eight games (one goal, one assist) with the Jets before Tuesday.
“I think very quickly after the trade went through, I realized that there was a possibility it would be a good opportunity for me to get a new start,’’ Barron said. “And I feel like my hockey is in a good place. I feel like mentally, just getting the opportunity to get in the lineup… that's been really good for me.’’
Blue shorts
Ryan Reaves entered the Rangers’ lineup to replace the injured Kaapo Kakko, but that was the only change for Gerard Gallant’s men. . . . Forwards Greg McKegg, Julien Gauthier and Jonny Brodzinski, and Ds Libor Hajek and Justin Braun were the scratches.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
