Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers must decide the fate of Victor Mancini sooner rather than later. Mancini is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game, with Zac Jones taking his spot in the lineup. While Mancini has shown some promise, which is why he remains with the team, the rookie defenseman is also going through some growing pains. This is normal for any young player who is just starting up at the NHL level, but it makes you think, what’s actually best for his development? Stan Fischler talks about Matt Rempe. Laviolette talked about the benefit of Mancini staying with the Rangers and making sure his experience is worthwhile. “I think that there's a balance there,” Laviolette said via Mollie Walker of The New York Post. [https://x.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1854570712666705943] “I do think it's OK for a young player to come out of the game once in a while and to watch and to go over video and watch from a different angle and then to work on things in practice. I think that's OK. I think you got to be careful that those stints don't get extended and stay too long.” The Rangers coach also made clear that benching Mancini isn’t necessarily a slight on him. It’s just that Jones played well on Monday night against the New York Islanders. “Somebody's got to sit... I thought Jonesy came in and gave us a real strong game last game so we're going to come back with him this game, but it could change game to game,” Laviolette said. [https://x.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1854570107856732216] Mancini is a promising defenseman who will almost certainly be a regular in New York’s lineup one day, but the organization has to do what’s best for him right now to ensure he has a smooth development.
