JONES HAD BEST PRE-SEASON NUMBERS FOR RANGES BUT ...

 

Stop us if you’ve heard this before … The New York 

Rangers open their 98^th National Hockey League season 

Wednesday night (Oct. 8) … with Richmond’s ZAC 

JONES expected to have a regular role. STOP!!!

This will mark the fourth year that the 5-11, 185-pounder 

has been penciled in to play among the team’s top 6 

defensemen ... only to (a) be sent to AHL Hartford, where 

he was the Wolf Pack’s best on the blue line for two 

years; or (b) spend most of last year a healthy scratch, 

appearing in only 31 (of 82) regular-season matchups … 

and none in the playoffs … despite drawing raves for his 

solid work when ADAM FOX then JACOB 

TROUBAand ERIK GUSTAFSSON were sidelined 

with injuries.

Now, with the Penguins first up for a road game in 

Pittsburgh (7 p.m. TNT), Jones once again is scheduled to 

play regularly … either with Trouba on the No. 2 

defensive pairing or rookieVICTOR MANCINI on No. 

3 … With Lindgren on injured reserve, the result of a 

fight in the opening minutes of the first exhibition game, 

coach PETER LAVIOLETTE has spent more than two 

weeks trying to make up his mind who should play with 

whom … without coming up with a definitive decision.

Jones and tough-guy Trouba seemed most logical … but 

that left Laviolette what to do with big K’ANDRE 

MILLER, who spent most of 2023-24 on the left side 

with Trouba on the right … and neither distinguished 

himself at the defensive end ... Miller and Fox formed the 

top pairing in the final exhibition, a 5-2 loss to the 

Islanders, and struggled (to say the least). However, at the 

morning skate Wednesday, they remained together … 

which usually means that is how they will line up for the 

game. Jones was with Mancini … Trouba with

 BRENDAN SCHNEIDER, playing on the left – or his 

off – side.

At this point you will have to forgive Jones if he resorts to 

his old, worn out response “It is what it is.” He just wants 

to play … and Laviolette, who brought in the much-

traveled Gustafsson a year ago to replace him, can’t 

ignore Jones preseason numbers. He finished tied for the 

team lead in points (5) with CHRIS KREITER (who 

played one less game) and FILIP CHYTIL, both 

forwards … Both of Jones’ goals came in a 6-4 victory 

over the Islanders when the Rangers overcame a 3-0 

deficit after 40 minutes. He kick-started the comeback 

with a breakaway goal at 6:09 of the final period then, 

with 2:17 remaining, drove a one-time slap shot from 

deep in the left circle by goalie HENRIK TIKKENAN. 

Kreiter evened the score at four 54 seconds later … then 

Jones picked up the second assist on rookie ADAM

 ADAM EDSTROM’s game-winner :37.8 from the end 

… What’s more, Jones completed the exhibition schedule 

this time around leading the Rangers with a plus 5 in the 

tell-tale plus-minus category.

With Gustafsson gone to the Detroit Red Wings as a free 

agent and Lindgren sidelined indefinitely with what 

apparently is a broken jaw, there were four new faces in 

the lineup … who weren’t with the team on opening night 

a year ago … when the Rangers led the league with 114 

points (55-23-4) to win the Governors’ Trophy: … 

Edstrom, who got into 11 games but spent most of the 

season in Hartford; Mancini, 6-3, 229, fifth-round draft 

choice (159 overall) in 2022 from University of 

Nebraska-Omaha; and veterans SAM CARRICK, signed 

as a free agent to center the fourth line, replacing

 BARCLAY GOODROW (taken by San Jose off the 

waiver wire); and REILLY SMITH, former Penguin 

signed to play left wing on the No. 1 line with Kreiter 

andMIKA ZIBANEJAD … ARTEMI PANARIN, who 

led the Rangers in points (120), goals (49) and assists 

(71), is skating again after missing most of the preseason 

schedule with an upper-body injury and should play on 

the No. 2 line, as usual, withVINCENT TROCHECK

 and ALEXIS LAFRENIERE … Also injured: fill-in 

forward JIMMY VESEY … MATT REMPE was a 

healthy scratch.

Now, about IGOR SHESTERKIN. He rejected a new 

contract that would have made the 29-year-old Russian 

the highest paid goaltender all-time in the NHL … It was 

said to be worth $88 million over eight years … and he 

previously said, if they couldn’t come to an agreement by 

the first game, it would have to wait until season’s end … 

Shesterkin reportedly wants no less than $12m trie 

annually, which would be between 12-and-13 per cent of 

the next salary cap. Because he is arguably the best goalie 

in the world, it seems unlikely the Rangers would balk at 

an extra $1m to keep him from becoming a free agent … 

Then again they have been unable to sign a key free agent 

or two because of salary-cap problems brought about by 

several unwise contracts … such as Trouba’s $8M annual 

deal that doesn’t run out until after the 2025-26 campaign. 

General Manager CHRIS DRURY tried to move him 

after last season … and had a reported trade worked out 

with Detroit … but a clause in the NY captain’s contract 

says he can refuse to go to as many as 15 teams … and 

the Red Wings were on the list … Shesterkin, however, 

has far more value. There can be no argument he was the 

far-and-away reason for the Rangers’ success in recent 

years … especially 2023-24 when he had to make up for a 

bad defense more interested in scoring goals than 

preventing them. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that, 

given the choice, he would rather go somewhere else and 

play for a coach who doesn’t encourage his defensemen 

to take a big role in the offensive end and rather put 

keeping the puck out of their own net first.

Until next time ...