A good amount of Rangers news broke throughout the long weekend so if you were anything like me (busy and off social media) then you may have missed some updates. The Rangers agreed to terms on a new contract with “next in line” defenseman Zac Jones at the start of the weekend. Reports of negotiations on a potential contract extension with veteran back up goaltender Jaroslav Halak have also surfaced, indicating that he may be back with the team next season. Lastly, newly named Head Coach Peter Laviolette has seemingly gotten to work, naming his first Assistant Coach in longtime NHLer, Michael Peca. Will there be more news to come this week? What do any of these things really mean for the team moving forward? Let’s get into it:
Zac Jones
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Rangers re-upped Zac Jones. The young, promising defender has played in 38 games with the Blueshirts across the last three seasons on his entry level contract and was set to become a restricted free agent. The former third round pick has proven his potential in being an early call up to this Rangers team, competing for a more permanent role on the third pairing as recently as last season. So much so that Jones actually made the team out of camp, but eventually was sent down to Hartford. This actually led to what would become an important development year for Zac Jones. Not only was he playing big minutes down in Hartford, but he got to experience a Calder Cup run which at the end of the day, is quality playoff experience.
Jones will likely be competing yet again for an opening roster spot on the third pair this season. It will all depend on whether or not Drury decides to pursue a more veteran option to pair with Schneider via Free Agency. It couldn’t hurt to give Jones another season of development in the minors, but with a good off-season and a strong showing in training camp, he could fight his way onto this team, especially considering how slim the pickings are in this year's open market.
Jaro Halak
Just last week, I posted a second part of my Free Agency Preview, taking a look at some potential candidates for backing up Igor Shesterkin next season. If you haven’t already, you can take a look at that article here:
You’ll notice towards the end of it, I mentioned the possibility of Halak returning with the Rangers and as confirmed on the Jeff Marek show by Allen Walsh (Halak’s agent) it appears the team is interested in bringing him back. Halak did not get off to a great start last season but did eventually get it together, having a decent year in the process. In 24 starts, Halak had a record of 10-9-5 with a .903 save percentage. You have to think all parties involved would want to see a little more wins instead of some of those losses, but all in all, if your backup goalie is giving you a save percentage in the .900’s, it’s hard to be super dissatisfied over it.
Frankly, the most important aspects relevant to deciding on a back-up goalie for Shesterkin comes down to their ability to play in give or take twenty games as well as how much, or how little, they are willing to sign for. We all know how tight the Rangers cap situation is, therefore they should not be looking to spend anywhere near $1 million on a number two goaltender. If Halak is willing to take a discount from his buck and a half, one year deal he signed last year then great, welcome back. However, if he’s still chasing a number somewhere in the seven digit area then the Rangers have to look elsewhere. Between the cap hit and Halak’s age, it might be best to go with a fresh face if negotiations don’t go well.
Michael Peca
There’s no doubt that who the Rangers would name as their new Head Coach was among the most pressing questions going into the off-season. However, once Peter Laviolette was named to the position, that question immediately switched to who would slot in beside him as his assistants. Late last night, word came out on Twitter that former NHLer Michael Peca would be joining Laviolette’s staff as an Assistant Coach. Peca had a 14 year playing career in which he was often in the Selke Trophy conversation and fantastic in the face-off circle. Since the end of his playing days, Peca quickly shifted into coaching when he landed a gig as an OHL Head Coach. After being named OHL Coach of the Year, Peca quickly made the jump to GM and Head of Hockey OPs before rejoining the NHL in 2021 as a Player Development Coach. He then became an Assistant Coach with the Rochester Americans in the AHL where he spent the last two seasons.
Laviolette obviously has some history with Peca, having coached him on Long Island back in the early '00s. Peca is a two time Selke winner but aside from making it to the Cup Final in 2006, didn’t really have a ton of postseason success in his playing career. He was a fine player who by all appearances was a pretty respected player. Peca did spend some of his best seasons with the Islanders which could leave some Rangers fans not thrilled about him. However, Peca is a highly coveted guy that could have a very bright coaching future ahead of him at the NHL level. Hopefully having a former Selke Winning Coach could help Mika Zibanejad continue to take steps in his game and can overall help this team’s centermen in getting better with face-offs.
Laviolette Press Conference
At the time of finishing this article, Peter Laviolette has officially been welcomed to New York as the team’s new Head Coach. There weren’t a ton of takeaways from his introductory press conference and truth be told, what’s said in June can be completely different come October. However, there were a couple things Laviolette mentioned that should actually leave Rangers fans feeling somewhat optimistic. For starters, he mentioned the Stanley Cup and how it's his goal to get this team there which should be a no brainer. He also mentioned a couple things that address the largest concerns with this team; Areas of focus, systematic changes to how this team plays the game and a game plan regarding the teams younger talent.
“There has to be a clear-cut plan on what we’re doing… For me, it’s always been a little more of an aggressive approach. Defense is always a priority… For me, it’s about the attack. It’s about pressuring. It’s about puck pursuit.” - Peter Laviolette
With Gallant, it really seemed like he wasn’t overly concerned about systems or making changes which became evident in the playoffs. It’s nice to hear Laviolette mention a plan that already seems to shift away from the more relaxed style of play the Rangers have been executing under Gallant’s regime. Laviolette also mentioned instilling a sense of increased compete levels and hard work within this team. There’s plenty of talent up and down the lineup but if this team is going to get anywhere, they need to be a group that competes and works as a team. Between instilling a “clear-cut plan” and an importance on compete levels, Rangers fans should feel pretty good with what Laviolette has had to say so far.
Laviolette was also asked about the team's younger players, specifically Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. There’s no question that these are two guys who need to take that next step and start to become consistent, contributing pieces to this team’s core. Laviolette certainly acknowledged that and mentioned how they need to be given an opportunity to grow. He mentioned wanting to see them get more ice time as well as power play opportunities and while it’s easier said than done, it is good to hear that, even if it is very early in the process.
These will all be things to keep an eye on once training camp and preseason begin but all in all, Laviolette said all the right things and should have Rangers fans feeling a little better about what was an otherwise unsurprising and indifferent coaching switch. That wraps up a pretty busy weekend for the Rangers behind the scenes. With the draft round the corner and Free Agency to follow there’s undoubtedly lots more to come. Expect the rest of the Rangers pending RFA’s to at least receive qualifying offers as Lafreniere and Miller contract extensions will be among the more eagerly awaited pieces of news to come.
Chris Feldman
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