Rangers Roundup: Postponed past Christmas, Zac Jones injury, and Olympic participation

Zac Jones
May 1, 2021; Uniondale, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Zac Jones (6) plays the puck against New York Islanders right wing Leo Komarov (47) during the first period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers, who had just one game before the Christmas Break, will now be off until at least December 27.

Yesterday, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to not pause the season but postponed all cross-border games.

“Due to the concern about cross-border travel and, given the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions, effective on Monday, all games involving a Canadian-based team playing a U.S.-based team from Monday, Dec. 20 through the start of the Holiday break on Dec. 23, will be postponed and rescheduled,” a league statement read.

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Rangers postponed

The Blueshirts will practice today at the MSG Training Center at 11AM.

Head coach Gerard Gallant will address the media afterwards, where he will likely provide updates on Artemi Panarin and how the team will approach the long layoff.

The team’s next game is scheduled for 12/27 against the Detroit Red Wings. However, on Sunday the NHL shut them down through Christmas after the team’s COVID-19 outbreak grew to nine players.

At this time the game is expected to be played.

new york rangers postponed
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Zac Jones injury

Rangers promising defenseman, Zac Jones is dealing with a lower-body injury that caused him to miss games this weekend with the Hartford Wolf Pack. No injury report was released by the Pack and lead to some speculation that Jones could be a call up with Patrik Nemeth on COVID protocol.

On Sunday, Jones dressed for warmups but did not play.

Jones, 21, was selected by the Blueshirts in the third round (68th overall) during the 2019 NHL Draft. After an excellent college career, he made his Blueshirts debut at the tail end of last season picking up 4 assists in 10 games. This season for the Wolf Pack, he leads all defensemen in scoring with 15 points in 20 games.

He is currently high on the list for possible call-ups on defense.

No Olympics

Still to be determined is whether NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics in Beijing beginning in February. A statement from the league and the players association said the two sides “are actively discussing the matter … and expect to be in a position to announce a final determination in the coming days.”

The deadline to opt-out is January 10, 2022.

Several top insiders are indicating that the NHL and NHLPA will formally announce they will not be attending in the coming days.

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Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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