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Player Discussion - Zac Jones | Page 24 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
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Player Discussion Zac Jones

NickyFotiu said:
Is that the level we want our players to be at? I may have played really badly but my teammate played worse? I like Zac and I want to give Zac another chance but this teams weak sauce players are disappointing. Might as well wear some dresses.
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No, it’s not the level.

It’s just that you said the board was in favor of him being scratched… who was the preferred alternative?
 
QJL said:
No, it’s not the level.

It’s just that you said the board was in favor of him being scratched… who was the preferred alternative?
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I cant speak for everyone but go look at the time he was scratched. Im sure you will see multiple people agreeing with the move. Even Brooks said he had played badly. I want Zac to play but I want him to do his talking on the ice by playing better.
 
NickyFotiu said:
Is that the level we want our players to be at? I may have played really badly but my teammate played worse? I like Zac and I want to give Zac another chance but this teams weak sauce players are disappointing. Might as well wear some dresses.
Click to expand...
what kind of obscene obtuse nonsense is this??

ice time is Zero sum. play your best players. Jones > Lindgren. nobody agrees with scratching ZJ when Lindgren is getting 1st pairing minutes
 
NickyFotiu said:
Is that the level we want our players to be at? I may have played really badly but my teammate played worse? I like Zac and I want to give Zac another chance but this teams weak sauce players are disappointing. Might as well wear some dresses.
Click to expand...
I think that's posters. Not Zac. I blame the click bait media who posts outrageous headlines like "Zac Jones FURIOUS about ice time." Which is hyper superlative. Every player in existence says they aren't happy about not getting ice time but they need to keep stay focus and continue working hard.
 
n8 said:
I think that's posters. Not Zac. I blame the click bait media who posts outrageous headlines like "Zac Jones FURIOUS about ice time." Which is hyper superlative. Every player in existence says they aren't happy about not getting ice time but they need to keep stay focus and continue working hard.
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I agree. The media is asking loaded questions but Zac should just say he really wants to play. That he knows he can play better. Don't make headlines.
 
Jones had a million chances this year to be noticeable and he was complete buns. He can't defend which is acceptable if you generate offense and are a human breakout. He can't do either of those things with consistency. Just move him.
 
DelZottoHitTheNetJK said:
Jones had a million chances this year to be noticeable and he was complete buns. He can't defend which is acceptable if you generate offense and are a human breakout. He can't do either of those things with consistency. Just move him.
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Are you just looking at his stat line? I mean I mostly agree with your points but it's not all bad or a lost cause. Plus, the team in general is just terrible. He isn't even a full-time defender on this team yet. Here's what I see he's good and bad at:
Acceptable - Good:
  • Skating
  • Mobility
  • Breakout/transition
  • He moves with the puck quite well.
  • Offensively, he's still #2 on this team after Fox (Corsi/Fenwick @ 50/50)
  • Stickhandling
  • Positioning
  • Hustle - he could be better here but I don't see him coasting like I see other players do. In the motor category he could use more fight.
Needs improvement:
  • Passing. He's decent but it's inconsistent. There are a handful of passes that don't reach the target cleanly. It's hard to determine how much of this is the receiver and given this season, a lot has to be the receiver but I don't have time to go through each game and check every pass so call it an eyeball test. This one could be in acceptable but opted for this category.
  • He is not a shooter. He needs to shoot more. His mobility is similar to Fox but Fox uses it to get into dangerous spots to make his shots. Jones does not.
  • Shooting accuracy is similarly not great. He is capable but most of his shot selection is pretty safe. Shots that get gobbled up by goalies instead of rebound generating shots. Something he can work on.
  • You say he can't defend, I think that statement needs more clarity. It's too broad. He needs to be better on the boards and winning puck battles. Gets boxed out a bit too easily. His positioning is generally good. And I don't see him making bone headed clearing attempts like Miller.
  • Mentioned above. More fight. More sandpaper and aggression to make himself harder to play against.
  • Hits even less than Adam Fox.
  • Barely blocks any shots.
N/A:
  • Has gotten zero PK time this year
 
n8 said:
Are you just looking at his stat line? I mean I mostly agree with your points but it's not all bad or a lost cause. Plus, the team in general is just terrible. He isn't even a full-time defender on this team yet. Here's what I see he's good and bad at:
Acceptable - Good:
  • Skating
  • Mobility
  • Breakout/transition
  • He moves with the puck quite well.
  • Offensively, he's still #2 on this team after Fox (Corsi/Fenwick @ 50/50)
  • Stickhandling
  • Positioning
  • Hustle - he could be better here but I don't see him coasting like I see other players do. In the motor category he could use more fight.
Needs improvement:
  • Passing. He's decent but it's inconsistent. There are a handful of passes that don't reach the target cleanly. It's hard to determine how much of this is the receiver and given this season, a lot has to be the receiver but I don't have time to go through each game and check every pass so call it an eyeball test. This one could be in acceptable but opted for this category.
  • He is not a shooter. He needs to shoot more. His mobility is similar to Fox but Fox uses it to get into dangerous spots to make his shots. Jones does not.
  • Shooting accuracy is similarly not great. He is capable but most of his shot selection is pretty safe. Shots that get gobbled up by goalies instead of rebound generating shots. Something he can work on.
  • You say he can't defend, I think that statement needs more clarity. It's too broad. He needs to be better on the boards and winning puck battles. Gets boxed out a bit too easily. His positioning is generally good. And I don't see him making bone headed clearing attempts like Miller.
  • Mentioned above. More fight. More sandpaper and aggression to make himself harder to play against.
  • Hits even less than Adam Fox.
  • Barely blocks any shots.
N/A:
  • Has gotten zero PK time this year
Click to expand...

I haven't looked at a single one of his stats, the eye test has not been good.

He's regressed noticeably from last season. Probably because he has been used this year in a larger role, and has proven he can't be relied upon in the defensive zone and doesn't impact the game offensively enough to overcome that.

Many an undersized defenseman have carved out a solid NHL career playing the exact level of defense that Zac Jones has played. The thing is, all those guys had massive shots from the blueline and could be a staple on PP1. Jones lacks the big shot he would need for him to be an NHL regular.

Tyson Barrie
MA Bergeron
Deangelo to some extent, he would still be in the league if he wasn't a grade A asshole


Jones is also redundant with Fox on the team. You can never, EVER, have more than 1 undersized, offensive dman on your team. It literally never works out. Fox is blocking Jones, and that situation will obviously never change for Jones no matter how well he plays.

This is why I'm saying, similar to Kakko, it's best for the team and the player to move on.
 
DelZottoHitTheNetJK said:
Jones is also redundant with Fox on the team. You can never, EVER, have more than 1 undersized, offensive dman on your team. It literally never works out. Fox is blocking Jones, and that situation will obviously never change for Jones no matter how well he plays.
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It may be a dated point of view, but that's exactly my sentiment too.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I agree. The media is asking loaded questions but Zac should just say he really wants to play. That he knows he can play better. Don't make headlines.
Click to expand...

Unless they said to him "do you feel like you're rotting away?" I think Zac's handling of the questions is a bigger issue than the questions he has been asked. I wish more players spoke honestly and candidly to the media, but he drew too much attention and made the situation worse with what he said, and it is more his fault than a reporter asking a question or an editor that embellishes a headline because Jones uses an expletive. Really there wasn't a problem at all until it became one.

Separate note. I understand why anyone would advocate for Jones to get more playing time. But what Jones can do best, he hasn't done particularly well. He is not noticeably better than anyone on breakout/transition nor passing nor puck movement in general. He can be good in those areas, we'd all expect it, but the reality is he's been mediocre. He's got mobility and talent but he's barely made any net positive difference while the team racked up losses and other defensemen's poor play gave him a chance to outplay them. No spectacular gaffes perhaps but he's not been definitively better. So despite the tools he possesses, he didn't do enough to guarantee himself playing time every day.
 
Guaranty when ZJ goes somewhere else he becomes a productive top 4 D. He isn't going to magically become Chris Pronger, but he can be Neil Pionk. My biggest issue with him not playing is that we are playing Vaka whatever his name is. This guy sucks. What is the reason for keeping this guy in the line up?
 
The S5 said:
Guaranty when ZJ goes somewhere else he becomes a productive top 4 D. He isn't going to magically become Chris Pronger, but he can be Neil Pionk. My biggest issue with him not playing is that we are playing Vaka whatever his name is. This guy sucks. What is the reason for keeping this guy in the line up?
Click to expand...

Vaakanainen is better than Jones
 
Not too sure if you guys are watching the same Vaak that I am. The guy is a dumpster fire. Borgen, hasn't been too bad though.
I'm not saying that Jones is the answer. He is definitely a liability defensively. I do think that he will develop into a decent offensive D.
 
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