The New York Rangers revealed that rookie defenseman Victor Mancini has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, while veteran defenseman has been called up from Hartford.
This move is likely in his best interest. The 22-year-old has performed fairly well and earned his spot with the Rangers, but he has been a healthy scratch for the past four games. Coach Peter Laviolette has chosen to dress 24-year-old Zac Jones, who brings a bit more NHL experience to the lineup.
In his first professional season, he is likely to benefit from playing top-four minutes in Hartford, where he can further develop his skills. When the opportunity arises, as it likely will, he’ll be ready to rejoin the Rangers and continue making an impact.
So far this season, he has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) and a plus-4 rating in nine games. However, the Rangers struggled to generate scoring chances while he was on the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, the team was out-chanced 97-49 overall, including a 45-18 deficit in high-danger chances during his ice time.
Rangers choose Zac Jones over Victor Mancini in expected move
Jones has delivered a more consistent performance for the Rangers and has arguably been one of their top players recently. He has registered four assists in nine games and boasts an impressive plus-9 rating, which is tied for the fourth-best on the team. When it comes to scoring chances, Jones is even at 63-63, and in high-danger situations, he holds a slight advantage with a 27-24 edge.
The decision to swap Mancini for Ruhwedel makes sense, as Ruhwedel will likely serve as the seventh defenseman in most situations. However, given the Rangers’ recent struggles, it’s possible Ruhwedel could find his way into the lineup at some point. The 2017 Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins played one game with the Rangers this season, a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 19. Though he didn’t register any points, he finished with a plus-2 rating and logged 15:08 of ice time on the third defense pair.
The Rangers have posted a .500 record (4-4-0) in their last eight games, and after suffering a 6-3 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, head coach Peter Laviolette is looking for answers with his defensive pairings. At Wednesday’s practice, he reunited K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox on the top pairing — a duo that started the season together but was split when Ryan Lindgren returned from injury. The other pairings were Lindgren with Jacob Trouba, and Zac Jones with Braden Schneider.
If the Rangers’ play doesn’t improve, Laviolette might turn to Ruhwedel for a boost, or continue tinkering with the pairings until something clicks. The new pairings will have an opportunity to secure a much-needed win on Thursday when the Rangers host the San Jose Sharks — who sit 28th in the league standings — at Madison Square Garden, where former teammate Barclay Goodrow will also make his return.
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