Jones suited up for the third time in nine games in Monday's 5-3 win over the Panthers.
Jones wasn't able to maintain consistent playing time in 2024-25, though he had some extended runs in the lineup when the Rangers dealt with injuries. He's produced 11 points, 50 shots on net, 43 blocked shots, 28 hits and 24 PIM over 45 appearances. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer, but the Rangers already have five blueliners under contract with Jones and K'Andre Miller in need of new deals, so Jones may not be able to carve out much more ice time in 2025-26.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Posts assist Thursday
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Jones notched an assist, three shots on goal, four hits, two blocked shots and six PIM in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Wild.
Jones' second penalty, a double-minor for high-sticking, led to the Wild's second goal, which forced overtime. All's well that ends well for the defenseman, as the Rangers got the win on a Braden Schneider tally in the extra session. Jones has picked up three helpers and 14 blocked shots over his last six outings while seeing time on the power play. The 24-year-old blueliner has racked up career highs in assists (10), points (11), blocks (36), PIM (18) and games played (36) this season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Contributes helper in win
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Jones notched an assist, four blocked shots and two shots on goal in Monday's 4-0 win over the Islanders.
This was Jones' first point in three games since he came back from his conditioning stint with AHL Hartford. The 24-year-old is poised to play a larger role down the stretch as the Rangers have pivoted to selling. Jones is still on the third pairing on paper, but he saw 19:14 of ice time Monday as well as a power-play role in the absence of Adam Fox (upper body). Six of the Rangers' seven healthy blueliners are left-handed shots, so there could be a pinch point for bottom-four minutes once Fox is healthy again.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Recalled from AHL
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Jones was recalled from AHL Hartford on Monday.
Jones was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan Thursday, but he'll rejoin the Rangers shortly after the team resumed play following the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Jones is unlikely to see much playing time with New York, as he's made just two NHL appearances since the start of the calendar year.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Goes on conditioning loan
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Jones was assigned to AHL Hartford on a conditioning loan Thursday.
Jones got into a few games in February prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but he spent 18 contests out of the lineup before that. This move will allow him an opportunity to maintain his game readiness. Jones was replaced on the NHL roster by Matthew Robertson, who will likely return to Hartford when Jones' loan is over.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Stuck outside of lineup
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Jones was scratched for the 15th straight game in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.
Jones saw steady playing time for much of November and December, but that's dried up. The Rangers' turnaround has hinged on two trades involving defensemen -- one that swapped Jacob Trouba for Urho Vaakanainen and another that brought in Will Borgen at the expense of Kaapo Kakko. Vaakanainen has largely taken over the third-pairing spot that belonged to Jones previously, and with the Rangers finding success, there's been no need to shuffle the lineup. For the season, Jones is at eight points, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-2 rating over 26 appearances. He's one point and five games shy of matching his totals in those categories from the 2023-24 regular season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Picking up power-play time
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Jones has averaged 1:00 of power-play time per game this season.
Jones is not guaranteed to be in the lineup, as the 24-year-old occasionally sits out when the Rangers' defense is fully healthy. When he's played, Jones has been put in a position to succeed with second-pairing minutes and a spot on the second power-play unit. He has eight points, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-2 rating through 26 outings. He still needs to find another level on offense, but Jones could be given more minutes if the Rangers' December swoon persists much longer.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Records power-play assist in win
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Jones had a power-play assist and one shot on goal in Saturday's 4-3 win over Montreal.
Jones sent a pass to the slot that eventually landed on the stick of Will Cuylle, who found Kaapo Kakko netside for the game-winning goal. It was the third assist in four games since Jones returned from a lower-body injury. The power-play point was his first of the season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Secures helper in return
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Jones logged an assist in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Blues.
Jones missed one game due to an upper-body injury. He saw time on the third pairing and second power-play unit Monday, totaling 18:14. It took a while for Jones to get going this season, but he's at six points, 12 shots on net, 10 blocked shots, seven hits and a plus-8 rating through 14 appearances.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Set to play
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Jones (upper body) is expected to return to action against St. Louis on Monday, according to Denis P. Gorman of Newsday.
Jones will return to his third-pairing role and see power-play time on the second unit following a one-game absence. He has one goal, four assists, 12 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and seven hits across 13 appearances this season. The Rangers don't have an extra defenseman on the roster after assigning Chad Ruhwedel and Victor Mancini to AHL Hartford on Sunday.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Not available Saturday
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Jones will miss Saturday's tilt in Edmonton due to an upper-body injury, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Jones will be replaced in the lineup by Victor Mancini. Jones has a goal and five points in 13 games this season. Consider jones day-to-day at this time, and he could return to action as early as Monday against St. Louis.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Adds assist in loss
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Jones notched an assist in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Sabres.
Jones has a helper in each of the last two games, which should help him solidify a spot on the third pairing. He also received some power-play time in the blowout loss, which could give him a better path to fantasy production if it sticks. He has three assists, five shots on net, a plus-6 rating, six blocked shots and four hits over seven appearances. Jones continues to compete with Victor Mancini for a spot in the lineup.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Making most of opportunities
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Jones dished out an assist in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.
Jones picked up his sixth helper of the season on Kaapo Kakko's third-period insurance goal. After spending the majority of the season in the press box as the team's seventh defenseman, Jones has dressed in each of the last six games with Jacob Trouba (lower body) sidelined. Jones has seen sheltered minutes, but the skilled defenseman has held his own with two assists and a plus-3 rating during this six-game stretch. With Ryan Lindgren (lower body) potentially poised to miss time as well after exiting Sunday's win, Jones is unlikely to leave the lineup anytime soon.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Just one appearance in February
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Jones watched Thursday's 5-1 win over the Devils from the press box and has been a healthy scratch since Feb. 5.
Jones played in the Rangers' first game of the month as Jacob Trouba finished up a two-game suspension, but New York's seventh defenseman hasn't been called upon since that Feb. 5 win over the Avalanche. Jones remains stuck on five points in 17 appearances this season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Tacks on helper
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Jones registered an assist in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Bruins.
Jones is rounding out the blue line with Adam Fox (lower body) on long-term injured reserve. The Blueshirts have the option of turning to undrafted defenseman Connor Mackey as a reinforcement option, but he has yet to debut for the Original Six club, and Jones has more upside as a third-round (No. 68 overall) pick from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Jones' point total is comprised of three assists through 10 games, which isn't all that bad for a guy averaging only 12:52 of ice time.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Likely to play Saturday
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Jones could draw into the lineup Saturday against the Wild, as Adam Fox (lower body) was unable to finish Thursday's 2-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Jones has been a spectator for all but one game during the Rangers' 8-2-0 start. In his lone appearance, the 23-year-old blueliner had four shots and a minus-2 rating in 12:30 TOI against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 14. A return timetable for Fox has yet to be established, but he'll likely miss at least one game after Carolina's Sebastian Aho went knee-on-knee on the star blueliner Thursday. If Fox is out of the lineup Saturday, Jones would be a candidate for ice time on the second power-play unit.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Inks two-year extension
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Jones, who was eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer, signed a two-year contract extension with the Rangers on Friday.
Jones will carry an $812,500 annual cap hit, according to PuckPedia. The 22-year-old had a goal and two points in 16 contests with the Rangers last season. He also recorded eight goals and 31 points in 54 outings with AHL Hartford. Jones will compete for an NHL roster spot during training camp.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Sent to minors
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Jones was reassigned to AHL Hartford on Saturday.
Jones needs to be playing and that was not the case with the Rangers, as he had been a healthy scratch in six of the last 11 games. The 22-year-old has a goal and an assist in 16 NHL games and will now get a chance to get plenty of ice time in the AHL.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Not playing Friday
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Jones is not in Friday's lineup against the Jets, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
It sounds like Jones will be a healthy scratch, but if he's dealing with any sort of injury, there should be more information on his status in the coming days. He averaged 13:57 of ice time during the first two games of the year.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Elevated from minors
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Jones was called up from AHL Hartford on Wednesday.
Jones has yet to score his first NHL despite playing in 21 games for the Rangers over the last two seasons. Despite the lack of goals, the 21-year-old blueliner has had some offensive success with six helpers, 19 shots and 12 hits in those outings. The addition of Jones could point to an injury among the Rangers' blueliners, though it could be simply a way to add more depth before the postseason.
