The New York Rangers have been making moves to save their season. Reports are indicating that their may be more trades on the way, but there’s one player on the trade block that shoud absolutely stay.
Rangers have given Jones permission to talk to other teams
Per Elliote Friedman, New York has given defenseman Zac Jones to talk to other teams around the league. There appears to be interest in the young player, and Jones has every reason to want out of New York at the moment.
Despite being better than a majority of the Blueshirts’ defensive corps, Jones has served as a healthy scractch for a majority of this season’s games. He’s expressed his frustrations with his lack of play time, which may ultimately lead to Jones finding a new team to play for.
Jones needs to be in the lineup over Miller
Scratching Jones at this point of the season makes little sense. At 24 years old, Jones has played much better than many of the Rangers’ top-pairing defensemen — most notably K’Andre Miller.
Miller is by far the worst player on the Blueshirts right now. Poor decision-making and a basic lack of skill have cost New York a win numerous times. Yet, for some reason, Peter Laviolette has kept Miller in the lineup. Why is Jones sitting on the bench while Miller continues to struggle?
Miller is an upcoming free agent after this season. He’s going to ask for a raise in salary, and the Rangers won’t have a lot of cap space available. Chances are, Miller walks in free agency. He needs to be the one on the trade block, not Jones. Give Jones a full-time spot on the roster, and send Miller packing out of New York.