Rangers' Zac Jones gets nod in place of suspended Jacob Trouba against Avalanche
New York Rangers defenseman Zac Jones (6) celebrates his goal with the bench against the Ottawa Senators during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. Credit: AP/Sean Kilpatrick
Knowing that he would not have captain Jacob Trouba available on Monday night when the Rangers resumed play after the NHL All-Star break, coach Peter Laviolette had the option of inserting defenseman Connor Mackey into the lineup instead of Zac Jones against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden.
Mackey, 27, was an emergency call-up from AHL Hartford for the Rangers’ last game before the break after the NHL suspended Trouba for two games for elbowing Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev. And with Jones, the Rangers’ seventh defenseman, already having to play because Ryan Lindgren was out with an upper-body injury, Mackey entered the lineup that night to replace Trouba.
Mackey partnered with Adam Fox and had a strong game, including a fight with Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk that seemed to ignite the Rangers’ rally from a 2-0 deficit to a 7-2 victory.
But Jones, who has been the spare defenseman for the Rangers all season, was great against Ottawa, too. He had a goal and an assist and was a team-high plus-4.
With Lindgren healthy and back in the lineup Monday, Laviolette chose Jones over Mackey to fill in for Trouba in the second game of his suspension.
“We’ve got a guy [in Jones] that’s been here all year and he’s finally getting an opportunity to play,’’ Laviolette said at Monday’s morning skate. “He’s been a really good soldier for us and works hard every day. Great disposition, great work ethic, great teammate, positive attitude. And he just came off a monster game of his own. It didn’t make sense to jump the order.’’
In a chat with Newsday a couple of weeks ago, Jones, 23, said it has been difficult playing the role of seventh defenseman. He has been a healthy scratch most nights and has played only when one of the six defensemen ahead of him has been forced out of the lineup because of injury or another reason.
“Being in this role and not playing every night [stinks],’’ Jones said. “I’d say the toughest part about it is just watching games. I mean, you want to be in there, you want to be helping the team out, trying to do whatever you can to help the team win. So it just feels like you’re out of it, kind of, when you’re not playing.’’
Still, Jones tries to remind himself to smile and be genuinely happy that he is on the Rangers’ roster, even on days when he knows he isn’t playing. He said his teammates have been good about not making him feel left out, and he realizes there are worse things than being a healthy scratch.
“I mean, life’s not too bad,’’ Jones said. “Let’s be real.’’
Besides, he’s played a good amount. Monday was his 17th game of the season. Two years ago, Libor Hajek played 17 games the entire season when he was the seventh/eighth defenseman. That included being scratched for the first 26 games.
In his fourth professional season after signing with the Rangers in 2021 following his college career at UMass, Jones cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without clearing waivers, meaning if the Rangers ever wanted to send him to Hartford, they would risk losing him if another team claimed him.
But given that he is on a one-way contract (meaning he makes the same salary whether he is in the NHL or the minor leagues), Jones was asked if it is better to be the seventh defenseman on the Rangers or the No. 1 for the Wolf Pack, for whom he would play a lot of minutes and be the point man on the power play.
“I think there’s pros and cons to both,’’ he said after a long pause. “I wouldn’t say one’s better than the other, necessarily, but I mean, pros and cons.’’
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.
