Okay, let’s try this again.

The last time we wrote about the Vancouver Canucks potentially being interested in a disgruntled New York Ranger, that player was traded to the Pacific Northwest the very same day.

Sure, the destination in question was Seattle, not Vancouver. But we came close to calling it for Kaapo Kakko all the same, and we’re taking another shot, today with defender Zac Jones.

Far be it from the Canucks to call any other organization dysfunctional right now, but if there’s any other team leading them in controversy-inducing headlines this year, it’s the Rangers. They’ve cratered in the standings, forced a captain and alternate captain out of town, and just dealt away a former 2OA pick after making him a regular healthy scratch.

And, as is often the case in hockey, when things are bad, they tend to get worse before they get better.

The latest controversy to hit Gotham is one with lower stakes than the Kakko situation, but one that seems no less likely to lead to an immediate trade. Perhaps this time, the Canucks can take advantage.

Jones was drafted by the Rangers in the third round at 68^th overall in the 2019 Entry Draft. Since then, he’s progressed fairly well. Having just turned 24 in October and now standing at about 5’11” and 185 pounds, Jones’ size has always been a strike against him. But scouts now talk about how the left-handed blueliner has adapted his game to work around his size at the pro level.

Jones has always been heralded for his supreme skating abilities, and the ability that grants him in turn to both carry and move the puck. But Jones did not settle down into that niche of ‘offensive defenseman who gives back plenty defensively.’ Over two seasons at UMass-Amherst, two split between the AHL and NHL, and the last two NHL campaigns running, Jones has really rounded out his two-way play, to the point that it’s no longer talked about as any sort of deficit.

Jones shoots left, but is said to be comfortable on either side of the blueline, which is always a nice bonus.

When he’s been able to get into the lineup consistently, Jones has typically shown well. Last season, amid a number of Blueshirt blueline injuries around March, Jones went from healthy scratch to top-four at a crucial time in the season, and excelled. He got credit for helping the Rangers keep their place in the standings, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, Jones was back to being an extra. He’s still yet to suit up for a single postseason game in New York.

And that’s really the issue here: getting into the lineup consistently.

At the start of the 2024/25 season, it looked as though Jones might have a spot with his name on it. He fell about sixth on the NYR depth chart behind Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren, and Braden Schneider.

But a surprising showing from rookie Victor Mancini took away minutes in the early going, and then the Rangers acquired both Urho Vaakanainen and Will Borgen, even as they shipped out Trouba.

Jones was right back to be a regular healthy scratch, and this time he wasn’t going to take it without comment.
Speaking to the notorious Larry Brooks on New Years’ Day, Jones said of his time in the pressbox that “It (expletive) sucks, it (expletive) sucks. 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 didn’t stop there, either, elaborating that “I’m not a 32-year-old guy collecting a paycheck. 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.”

It does not read as a terrible attitude. Actually, a fairly understandable one. But given that the Rangers have been very quick to ship out sailors as they try to right the ship this season, one can also definitely read these comments as Jones attempting to engineer a trade out of town to a new opportunity, much like Kakko did a few weeks ago.

At the very least, it’s not a bridge that coach Peter Laviolette seems interested in mending, with him responding to Jones’ comments with “It’s okay to be frustrated. I’m perfectly fine with that. Everybody wants to play. You get to this level, everyone wants in. They want to play. And I’m okay with that.”

So, Jones wants to play. And maybe he’ll have to play elsewhere. Could Vancouver be a fitting destination?

The immediate fit is pretty obvious. The Canucks’ blueline has been devastated by two injuries to its two most important defenders in Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, and they’re at the point where they’ve got Derek Forbort on the top pairing and Guillaume Brisebois filling in.

The Canucks could use any reasonably warm bodies at this point, especially if they come for cheap.

But longer-term, there may be a fit for Jones, too. The Canucks did acquire a different puck-moving LHD earlier in the year in the form of Erik Brännström. But he’s been slow to earn the trust of the coaching staff. Even now, with the injuries, Brännström is on the outside of the lineup looking in. His offensive contributions have been welcome in 2024/25, but his all-around play still leaves plenty to be desired, and has yet to fully meet the Rick Tocchet threshold of requirement.

So, what if the team was instead able to get its hands on a player with a similar profile to Brännström, but who is considered much more reliable defensively? That’s essentially what is on the table with Jones, if Jones is indeed on the table.

Jones’ numbers might not pop off the page, but he’s got almost the exact same points-per-game rate as Brännström at both the AHL and NHL levels. He’s also a full calendar year and two draft classes younger.

And, most importantly, Jones can reportedly skate circles around Brännström in his own defensive end. Remember that Jones played big minutes for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers down the stretch last season. That’s a run of success that’s definitely worth checking the replicability of.

What might it cost to take a chance on Jones? That’s the really exciting part, because the answer is probably ‘not much.’ At this point, the Rangers might be most interested in removing any prominent cantankerousness from a dressing room that already seems to have given up on itself. Even if that’s not their mindset, they can’t expect much back in return for Jones, still stuck at just 95 career NHL games.

Anything at or above the level of a third round pick seems too rich here. But at the price of a fourth and change, or perhaps even lower, Jones seems like someone who would absolutely be worth a shot for the Canucks. Now, in the present moment, for sure – but perhaps also beyond the present moment, if all goes well.