Victor Mancini gets major opportunity with New York Rangers this preseason
One of the biggest stories so far in the preseason has been right handed defenseman Victor Mancini, who's performed very well in his two games to date. It appears as though his play could lend to a spot on the opening night roster should he stay the course.
Yes, it is preseason. But during the club’s get together on the ice on Friday, Victor Mancini, the New York Rangers’ standout blueliner, took reps on the left side of former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Adam Fox.
Mancini, a 6’3” 229 pound behemoth, is a right handed pivot, but the thought according to bench boss Peter Laviolette is that the young man — all of just 22 years of age — has played the off side before so the learning curve shouldn’t be quite as steep.
It sure looks like #NYR is considering Mancini. He played LD next to Fox today, with Lavi saying, "The conversation was that he played it in the past, and so there's an opportunity for somebody to jump in and fill the spot right now. We're just looking at all the possibilities."
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 27, 2024
The youngster has been impressive to say the least. In his two appearances, he’s accumulated a goal and an assist, while not looking out of place in the slightest. He’s demonstrated his smooth skating ability, an important attribute in today’s NHL, especially for a man of his stature.
It should be noted that Mancini hasn’t necessarily been an offensive powerhouse in his time in the AHL and NCAA. During the 2023-24 season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Mancini notched a total of 10 points across 40 games (four goals, six assists). He then joined the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, where he amassed three assists in his seven appearances and three more helpers in 10 playoff games with Hartford.
Neither of those numbers jump off the page for the defenseman who was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Mancini has been largely known for his defensive prowess and size, more than his propensity for putting up points.
Speaking of size, Mancini has used it well in his two showings, with a notable put-down of Matthew Poitras of the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Mancini has been aggressive along the boards, using his strength to pin opposing players against the wall until help arrives. The preseason is an entirely different animal than the regular season, but if Mancini has similar performances the rest of the way, he could find himself on the opening night roster.
So, what does this mean?
With the injury to fellow blueliner Ryan Lindgren, a spot has been opened on the already-fragile left side of the Rangers’ defense corps. Zac Jones was expected to compete for the open gig on the third defense pair, which would likely be alongside the club’s captain Jacob Trouba.
But with Lindgren down for at least a few weeks and Jones being a left handed shooting D-man, some assumed he would be the frontrunner to land the job of Lindgren’s understudy. However, all of that could have changed drastically with the news of Friday’s practice being Mancini’s appearance on the left side of Adam Fox.
Mancini has yet to give the coaching staff a reason to be demoted to Hartford come the start of the regular season. And when Lindgren makes his eventual return to the lineup, a decision will have to be made. That could be an issue for another week, but it’s difficult to avoid thinking about this past offseason and the noise surrounding Jacob Trouba and the trade that didn’t quite materialize.
Does Mancini’s emergence push the club to trade Trouba? If not now, could the trade deadline be the trigger point? Does Mancini potentially push Zac Jones out of the lineup when Lindgren returns? And how does Jones handle that?
Jones has performed admirably between last season and his showings this preseason. But, could a trip to Hartford cause a feeling of malice for the young blueliner?