The Rangers returned defenseman Zac Jones to AHL Hartford ahead of their 3-2 victory over the Capitals in the regular-season finale Friday night at the Garden.
The plan, however, is for Jones to rejoin the Rangers to add depth in advance of the playoffs, along with Nils Lundkvist, Matthew Robertson, Jarred Tinordi, Lauri Pajuniemi, Tim Gettinger and Keith Kinkaid, The Post’s Larry Brooks reported.
Jones logged 22:55 of ice time in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Canadiens on Wednesday, when head coach Gerard Gallant opted to keep seven of his core players out of the lineup as a precaution. It was his 12th NHL game of the season and his first since Feb. 27.
But with regulars coming back in for Game 82, Jones was sent back to Hartford in what was a paper transaction, considering the Wolf Pack’s season is over. Though the Wolf Pack didn’t qualify for the AHL playoffs, Jones said he was able to get a lot of ice time throughout the 2021-22 season and that it was a great learning experience.
“I’m just waiting,” Jones said on Wednesday. “It’ll come when it comes, in my mind. I’m not really too worried about it. Just got to keep working on my game and keep working on what I know I need to get better at and eventually I’ll be up here.
“It’s just going to take time, so whenever it comes it comes.”
Jones has worked his way up the Rangers’ defensive depth chart. The Rangers’ top four defensemen have been set in stone, and the bottom pair already has three candidates in Braden Schneider, Patrik Nemeth and Justin Braun, so Jones is still on the outs.
“I’m going to take every opportunity I get and run with it,” Jones said.
The Rangers’ announced team awards on Friday. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was named Team MVP. Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba were announced as co-winners of Players’ Players, which is voted on by their Rangers teammates. The media-voted Good Guy award, which recognizes a player for cooperation with the media throughout the season, went to Ryan Strome.
Andrew Copp (lower-body injury) and Artemi Panarin (upper-body injury) did not participate in morning skate Friday and were held out of the lineup for a second straight game. Both forwards sustained injuries in the 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
They are both still on pace to be ready for the playoffs, according to Gallant.
Tyler Motte, who suffered a “significant” upper-body injury earlier this month, is still not skating, according to Gallant. The coach wouldn’t reveal whether Motte would be available later in the postseason, but noted that the trade-deadline acquisition was getting better.
“He’s not going to be available for the next little while, but we’ll see day-to-day after that,” Gallant said.