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The New York Rangers have not had a good 2024-25 season to this point. New York began the season looking like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. However, they soon fell off a cliff and plunged near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. This sparked multiple trades as the team attempted to figure this thing out. One player the Rangers could still trade is defenseman Zac Jones.
Jones is a relatively unknown player outside of Rangers circles. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Blueshirts in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has never received a consistent full-time role in the NHL to this point in the year. However, he played a career-high 31 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
It seemed as if Jones had finally worked his way into the Rangers lineup this year. Unfortunately, that fell apart. He did not play from December 23rd to February 5th. In all, he has skated in just 28 games this season.
Jones returning to the lineup may extend his time on Broadway. However, he did make his frustrations known publicly earlier in the season. And he has received permission to seek a trade from the New York front office.
Any team acquiring Jones is taking a chance on his NHL potential. He has shown the ability to play well in a small sample size. But any acquiring team would want him for a more prominent role most likely. With this in mind, here are two teams that could trade for the Rangers defenseman at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Kraken could be a fit for Rangers' Zac Jones
The Seattle Kraken are trying to stay alive in the Western Conference Wild Card race. However, they have a ton of work to do. Seattle is 11 points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the final Wild Card berth in the West. At some point, they could decide to sell at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Seattle has two left-shot defensemen who could be on the move. Depth defender Josh Mahura is a candidate to be traded ahead of the March 7th deadline. Veteran defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is also a name that could draw interest on the trade market.
The Kraken certainly have depth defenders who could come up and play in a pinch. But Jones could be ready for a more prominent role now. And he has higher upside than any of the options currently available to Seattle.
Jones has experience quarterbacking the second power play unit for the Rangers. Although brief, this experience allowed him to flash his offensive upside on an experienced team. Moreover, he can certainly hold his own in the defensive zone.
The Kraken need to stockpile future assets to improve their long-term outlook. Future assets aren't always draft picks, though. Players like Jones can be diamonds in the rough for teams like Seattle.
Utah Hockey Club could make a deal
At one point, few teams in the NHL needed a defenseman like the Utah Hockey Club. They struggled with injuries and had their blueline thinned out almost immediately. Utah traded for Olli Maatta in a deal with the Detroit Red Wings, though. With this trade and more players healthy, defense isn't nearly as much of a sore spot.
Still, Utah could be a landing spot for Zac Jones. The Rangers defenseman is still rather early on in his career. The 24-year-old has room to grow and could become a legitimate offensive defenseman at this level.
Maatta and Ian Cole are two veterans on the left side of Utah's blueline. Both defenders are free agents at the end of this season. The Utah Hockey Club has some intriguing defenders coming through the pipeline. However, they will need NHL-caliber players to hold down the fort until then.
Jones is capable of playing and eating important minutes. He can be an asset on the power play while generating offensive chances for his teammates. With the likes of Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Dylan Guenther in front of him, he could rack up the assists in Utah.
