That is not what I am saying, but now I definitely see what I am dealing with with you.
Confirmed with Link: UMass LD Zac Jones to join the Rangers!
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- Jan 18, 2012
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Draft Guru
Registered User
I met Zac Jones at development camp in '19. I'd be shocked if he was 170 lbs then. The press release says 185 lbs now, but I'm not so sure I believe that. He looked like someone who was there to watch his older brother's hockey game. Just a kid. That's why I've said he needed another year or two in college to physically mature. I really hope he shocks us all and can step right in at this level, but to me the size and strength is going to be a concern right now against NHL players.
- Jan 18, 2012
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Wasn't Brendan Smith drafted as an 'offensive' defenseman? He has a decent skill set
He does but he's never been consistent with it. But you could see it with some of his passes that he's sprung guys out for breakaways.
SA16
Sixstring
We seriously signed this guy, are burning a year of his contract, and our college so-called "development coach" won't even put him in the lineup? I think we've seen enough of Smith and Hajek. Jones can come in and run the PP2 right now better than anyone we have there. Ridiculous that he's not playing him. He's easily an upgrade on several of our defenseman. Did DQ even see how dominant he was in the NCAA frozen four this year?
Brooklyn Rangers Fan
Change is good.
Come on, this is just looking for reasons to hate on Quinn. Barring injury, no coach is changing the lineup the game after a shutout. And on top of that, there's no reason to rush a kid into a game after only one full practice, for crying out loud.
VK took what, a week, before he got his first game? That seems to have worked out just fine. Let's see where we are after this weekend.
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E-Train
Registered User
When parody crosses somewhat into reality
I think it's totally reasonable to give the kid some practices to settle in and get a little comfortable with his new role before throwing him out there. I mean he probably would be better than Hajek, but he could also be totally overwhelmed right now and look absolutely lost.
haveandare
Registered User
Pretty sure they signed him and burned a year of his elc to avoid a situation where Lundkvist, Tarmo and/or Schneider take spots at camp next year and then he sees a team he can’t break into and holds out until UFA. Now he has a leg up on those guys and the rangers totally mitigated that risk. He’s also not easily an upgrade on anyone for certain yet, especially without even a single practice against NHL players. The NCAA is not even close to this level. Plenty of guys dominate there and don’t turn into anything at all in the pros.
Hajek is pretty good at some aspects of the game. He does have glaring holes and he and Smith aren’t an ideal pair because they should both have a better partner to cover up their weaknesses. I would hope Jones is better soon if not now but I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he weren’t better at NHL hockey today.
Beer League Sniper
Homeless Man's Rick Nash
Excited to see what ZJ (if ya have to ask, ya can’t afford it) can do out there. Similar to Kravstov though, I expect him to get at least a few practices before getting into a game.
Also not necessarily worried about his size. Anyone under 6’ is going to look like a smurf next to Trouba and Smith, especially with that slightly upward camera angle.
Also not necessarily worried about his size. Anyone under 6’ is going to look like a smurf next to Trouba and Smith, especially with that slightly upward camera angle.
Yeah, I can't tell when he's being facetious and when he's serious. His facetious posts sound like real posts.
- Sep 17, 2007
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You cant actually know half the things you state w certainty.
And he is a smaller player, any certainty he should be dumped straight into a NHL game, without even some practices, is very wishful thinking.
Just cuz he signed doesnt mean he's ready. Its a long term play, like all the kids.
Chill and enjoy the ride...
Harbour Dog
Registered User
Half of @SA16 's posts are satire and half are serious.
But is he going Andy Kaufman with all those nerdy, meaningless numbers? Or is it with all the grandiose condemnations of the organization?
Only his diary knows for sure.
But is he going Andy Kaufman with all those nerdy, meaningless numbers? Or is it with all the grandiose condemnations of the organization?
Only his diary knows for sure.
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
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Miamipuck
Al Swearengen
Folks, SA16's post was dripping with sarcasm and needs to be toweled off.
Zats Muccarello
Grinder
The UMass team coach Greg Carvel was on Spittin Chiclets and discussed Jones specifically, said he was surprised that he went pro because he doesn't believe Zac is physically ready for the NHL. He said that he should've spent another year in college.
Other than that he has a lot of positive things to say obviously.
Video starts right when Zac Jones comes up:
Other than that he has a lot of positive things to say obviously.
Video starts right when Zac Jones comes up:
You can go back to much earlier in the year, there was a GDT and I voted for Hajek as one of my choices. I said basically, "He wasn't one of the three best guys out there, but I'm throwing a vote his way for playing pretty decent and being better than some other #6 guys we've had." I just throw this out there to show that while I'm critical of him, I don't hate him or anything.
I think he's a decent skater who when he keeps it simple with the puck on his stick is reasonably effective. However, he's not physical, he doesn't show much vision or creativity, and I just don't feel like he excels at anything else. I also question his hockey IQ.
I remember a play earlier in the year, the opponent (maybe NJD) put the puck in deep into the corner, and the opposing player pursuing the puck was clearly going to be the first man there. That player clearly was positioning himself not to try to grab the puck off the boards and drive in deep, but to retrieve the puck and circle back up the boards and look to the center of the ice. Hajek however didn't process this, and not only was he playing his stick to protect against the guy heading in deep, he also positioned himself to the inside of the player to further prevent him from doing so. The result was the guy retrieved the puck, had absolutely no pressure as Hajek was a stride and a half away, and was able to center the puck to the trailer for an easy, and dangerous, chance on goal, while Hajek watched.
I know that's one play and he's a young defenseman who will make mistakes, but it's these kinds of things where he fails to read the play, or completely commits himself to one read, where things become problematic. And of course he's paired with Smith, who is generally not good enough to cover for his partner's glaring mistakes (I think Smith is fine when he plays with someone who is generally sound defensively), and they are horrible. Smith is out there making bad choices and taking himself out of position, and Hajek is just floating around not doing a whole lot of anything. It's an awful pairing, really.
But back to Hajek himself--I'm just not sure what he does that makes anyone think he belongs in the lineup. Like Smith, again, he brings a physical presence, can move the puck around a little bit, isn't afraid to get involved offensively, and when paired with a good defensive partner doesn't hurt you too much. Other than sticking him with Fox, what can you really do with Hajek to make him look effective?
And back to Jones--he definitely has the skills and smarts to play in the NHL right now. Does he have the strength? Does he have the confidence? It was just a couple of weeks ago where he was talking about how he himself thought he needed another year of college, so does he believe he's ready to play? One of the worst things for a young guy is going out there without the confidence that you belong, struggling, getting rag-dolled, etc.
