Rangers assign disgruntled, seldom-used defenseman to AHL Hartford on conditioning stint
It’s been two seasons since Zac Jones played a game for the New York Rangers’ minor league affiliate in Hartford of the American Hockey League. That will change this weekend.
Jones was assigned to Hartford on Thursday on a conditioning stint.
“Just to play some games,” coach Peter Laviolette said Friday when asked why Jones was sent down. “I think it’s a good thing. He wanted to go as well. He’s going to get the opportunity to play some games and get in shape. At some point, you just want to play.
“It’s a good opportunity for him to go down and get some minutes.”
The disgruntled 24-year-old defenseman has played just 28 games with the Rangers this season after starting out as a regular on the third pairing. However, Laviolette’s lack of trust in the smallish defender was evident early on when rookie Victor Mancini switched sides and took Jones’ place after Ryan Lindgren returned from a jaw injury.
Jones held off Mancini, who eventually was reassigned to Hartford and then traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31 as part of the package to acquire forward J.T. Miller. But Jones lost his spot in the lineup again after Urho Vaakanainen was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the Jacob Trouba trade in December.
He was scratched for 18 straight games from Dec. 28-Feb. 2. Jones then played back-to-back games when Vaakanainen was ill before the the Finnish defenseman reclaimed his spot in the lineup in a 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 8, the final game before the 4 Nations Face-off break.
Jones voiced displeasure about his role early in January.
“It’s tough. It’s really [expletive] tough,” he said. “I mean, I’m just generally a pretty easygoing, happy person. And no matter what is going on in my life, I’m gonna try and come to the rink with a smile on my face . . . But it [expletive] sucks. Like, there’s nothing else I can say about it.”
He added that he was going to speak to his agent but hadn’t requested a trade from the Rangers.
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Rangers recall Matthew Robertson from Hartford
Jones played 31 games last season as the seventh defenseman, but appeared set for a regular role this season after Erik Gustafsson left as a free agent to sign with the Detroit Red Wings and the Rangers didn’t replace him last summer.
Instead, Jones is now in Hartford on a conditioning stint and has eight points (one goal, seven assists) with the Rangers this season.
Jones was an AHL All-Star in 2022-23 when he had 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 54 games with Hartford. He yo-yoed that season between the Rangers and Wolf Pack, just as the 2019 third-round pick did in 2021-22.
Matthew Robertson was recalled from Hartford to take Jones’ spot as the extra defenseman. The 23-year-old has by and large had a good season, his fourth, with Hartford. He leads Wolf Pack defensemen with 18 points (one goal, 17 assists) in 47 games and has been solid defensively.
Selected ahead of Jones in the second round of the 2019 draft, Robertson’s been plagued by injury and ineffective play since turning pro. However, the Rangers decided to give Robertson a qualifying offer last summer and re-sign him. The move has paid off, though Robertson can be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this offseason.
Robertson has yet to make his NHL debut.
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