NHL fans on social media reacted to defenseman Zac Jones' public outburst regarding his repeated scratches from the New York Rangers' lineup.
Jones voiced his frustration after being sidelined multiple times during the team's recent struggles. He has not seen ice time in four of the past five games and is set to miss another matchup against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, making it his fifth straight game out of the lineup.
“It f**ing sucks. It f**ing sucks,” Jones said when asked about his recent healthy scratches. “I mean, 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."
Here's what fans on X/Twitter said about Zac Jones' public comments. One fan tweeted:
"He’ll be traded by next week, surely."
Another chimed in:
"He hasn’t played well. Eye test is a failure."
Here are some more reactions from fans on X:
"He should demand a trade, to many overpaid and overrated vet defensemen ahead of him," another fan said.
"Another young guy complaining in public. In part generational, in part cultural. Let’s see where he ends up playing later this month," one fan added.
"He's 100% correct. It's absolutely ridiculous that Laviolette removed him from the lineup to begin with. Put Lindgren in street clothes until he's traded and play Jones already," another fan chimed in.
"He’s right. It’s disgusting how the Rangers handle young players like him. Enough with the size excuses and every other excuse they come up with. It’s embarrassing how they run out young, hungry players who aren’t just comfortable collecting a paycheck," opined one fan.
Zac Jones on whether he'll pull a Kaapo Kakko move
Zac Jones is not the only player to publicly express frustration over the NY Rangers' lineup decisions. Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken after complaining about being scratched multiple times.
“I was thinking about that when I was talking,’’ he said. “I'm not trying to pull a ‘Kaapo’ here.’’
Head coach Peter Laviolette later addressed Jones' public comments, saying that it's natural for a player in his position to feel frustrated and eager to play:
"It's okay to be frustrated, and I'm perfectly fine with that," Laviolette said. "Everybody wants to play. You get to this level, everybody wants in. They want to play. And I'm okay with that."
The New York Rangers (16-19-1) host the Boston Bruins (20-15-4) next at Madison Square Gardens on Thursday.