A day ago, during NYR 2025 Exit Day, Zac Jones was asked about his comments earlier in the year about being frustrated by being held out of the lineup. He'd clarify, maybe he'd have been better to keep it private, but he stands by what he said.![Zac Jones]()
Zac Jones has had a long season. He went through two long stints of being a healthy scratch in the Rangers' lineup.
He'd sit for long stretches of games this season, and would eventually let his frustration get the best of him back in January during the first stretch.
«It (expletive) sucks, it (expletive) sucks,» Jones told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. «It's frustrating when you think you're doing some things well, and it's just, you just keep getting taken out, taken out, taken out. I just feel like I'm rotting away a little bit.»
He'd rightfully own up to the comments, despite the fact that he could've kept the situation cool by staying private with his thoughts.
But regardless, Jones wouldn't find any favors with Laviolette this season as he favored other players this year.
«I'm not a 32-year-old guy collecting a paycheck,» Jones said. «I'm a guy who wants to earn my paycheck. I need to play. I have things I need to improve in order to be a full-time player, and that's what I want to be.»
Instead of finishing the season as a full-time NHLer, he'd once again find himself in a part-time role, so soon after quarterbacking the Rangers' 2nd power-play unit at one point in the season.
Is Jones' mismanagement another one of Laviolette's unforced errors? Maybe.
Either way, the season's done for and over with, and unlike Laviolette, Jones will get a shot to fight for a new role in the Rangers lineup in 2025.
This season he finished the year with 46 games in New York, scoring a total of 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists).
