COLUMBUS, Ohio — Trapped in a seventh defenseman role for a second season, Libor Hajek understandably feels stuck and like his NHL career has somewhat been put on hold.
It’s the 24-year-old’s attitude toward his situation, however, that the Rangers should be grateful for. But it’s also what will matter in the long run for Hajek after his one-year deal expires at the end of this season.
Hajek was a healthy scratch for the 15th game in a row Monday night against the Blue Jackets. The last time he saw game action was more than month ago on Dec. 12 against the Devils, when he played in his sixth straight contest for the second time this season. Since then, Hajek has fallen back into the same routine as last season: Practicing and watching games from the press box.
“It’s tough,” Hajek told The Post after the Rangers’ extras skated Monday morning at Nationwide Arena. “I have to just battle through, wait for my chance, just work hard. Focus on myself. Be a good teammate. And hopefully, hopefully, someday it turns and I will just play.”
At the start of the season, Gerard Gallant and the Rangers seemed to have the best of intentions when it came to Hajek, who re-signed with the club in July for $800,000. The Rangers head coach even said he didn’t want to subject Hajek to the same situation he was in when he played just 22 total games between the NHL and AHL in 2021-22.
And for the first three months of this season, Gallant gave Hajek a shot.
Hajek played in 16 of the Rangers’ first 30 games while battling it out with Zac Jones for the last spot on defense. The back and forth probably didn’t help either Hajek or Jones, but it was playing time that Hajek hadn’t seen since he skated in a career-high 44 games in 2020-21. After Jones was sent down and Ben Harpur was recalled from Hartford in early December, Hajek slipped back into a depth role.
Harpur looks and plays more of the style that Gallant wants on his back end. As a result, Hajek has tried to make the most of his circumstances by keeping up his conditioning so he is always ready for the call.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can,” Hajek said. “Always practice 100 percent, you know, even if I’m tired or something mentally. Just keep going because if I don’t do that I just hurt myself. Just keep watching other players, other D or our D. We have I think the best D corps in the NHL, so just watching them and how they play.”
Whenever times get tough, Hajek said he thinks of all the players in his home country of the Czech Republic who would do anything to be in his position. That is the kind of humility the Rangers should take into consideration when they make their next move regarding Hajek.
There’s always a possibility that Hajek could be packaged in a deal before the March trade deadline. If that doesn’t work out, the Rangers will have to decide whether or not to extend a qualifying offer to Hajek, who will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of this season. Some sort of trade, either at the deadline or in the offseason, would be the best-case scenario for both parties.
“It’s a business,” Hajek said. “I’m a little guy in this business. I can’t really do anything about it. So just focusing on myself and hoping it’s going to turn around.”