WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Defenseman Libor Hajek skated in his first NHL game in five months Friday night in the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Jets at Canada Life Centre. Hajek drew into the lineup in place of the 21-year-old Zac Jones on the third defensive pairing, next to Braden Schneider.
In 13:45 of ice time, Hajek was credited with two shots, one blocked shot and three giveaways.
After serving in a pure depth role that was limited even further by the Rangers’ good fortune with injuries, Hajek has come into the 2022-23 season looking to land a job on the bottom pair. It appeared Jones had won the spot out of training camp with some solid preseason performances.
It would be unfair, however, for the Rangers to ask Hajek to put his NHL career on hold for another season. As a result, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is giving the 24-year-old Czech an opportunity to showcase himself. Plus, after Jones and Braden Schneider had a tough time Thursday night at Minnesota in a matchup with the Wild’s top line, facing the Jets seemed like a good time to give Hajek a look.
“It had to be real tough on him,” Gallant said early in training camp of Hajek’s role last season. “A guy comes in all the time and is saying, ‘Am I going to get a chance? Am I going to get an opportunity?’ We like the kid, there was nothing wrong with the kid, there was nothing wrong with the kid’s game. It’s just everything was going pretty for us last year, so he didn’t get much of an opportunity.”
The fact that Jones was scratched Friday does not necessarily mean he has lost the job to Hajek. It was not the first time Gallant has opted to scratch a young defenseman in one game of a back-to-back schedule.
Last season, Nils Lundkvist was scratched in the first game of the season at Washington before drawing into the lineup the very next night against Dallas. Gallant did the same thing the following month, playing Lundkvist in the Nov. 5 matchup at Edmonton and sitting him the next game at Calgary. Lundkvist, who was traded to Dallas late last month, rotated with Jarred Tinordi, whom the Rangers recently waived before he was picked up by Chicago.
Wing Sammy Blais, who suffered an upper-body injury in the preseason finale against the Islanders and missed the first two games of the season, was a possibility to play Friday, but ultimately was scratched out of an abundance of caution, according to Gallant.
“He’s real close,” Gallant said. “He skated again today and he’s feeling good. Being cautious, I’m being cautious.”
The AHL Hartford Wolf Pack announced Jonny Brodzinski as captain and Turner Elson and Tanner Fritz as the alternates for the 2022-23 season.
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