When kakko comes back I'd love to see him and Goodrow with either Zib or Strome and then have Laff - Chytil - Blais as the third line for a solid 20 games.
Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière: Part II
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When kakko comes back I'd love to see him and Goodrow with either Zib or Strome and then have Laff - Chytil - Blais as the third line for a solid 20 games.
[QUOTE="Amazing Kreiderman, post: 180764784, member: 119397"his is not to say Kakko and Laf won't grow into good players but I can't fault Ranger fans for being annoyed by the lack of production when Lucas Raymond gets a hattrick last weekend.
And yeah, I have heard all the reasons behind it. I am not posting this to discuss the list of reasons why "it was different for Laf/Kakko". Albeit still early, Lafrenière ranks 36th out of 44 first overall picks in their D+2 season in P/GP with 0.43.
Fans want to see more from a guy that has been marketed as generational by some (he isn't but that's a debate for another day) and franchise-altering by others.[/QUOTE]
Oh, the horror!!!
And yeah, I have heard all the reasons behind it. I am not posting this to discuss the list of reasons why "it was different for Laf/Kakko". Albeit still early, Lafrenière ranks 36th out of 44 first overall picks in their D+2 season in P/GP with 0.43.
Fans want to see more from a guy that has been marketed as generational by some (he isn't but that's a debate for another day) and franchise-altering by others.[/QUOTE]
Oh, the horror!!!
Glen Sathers Cigar
Sather 4 Ever
Oh, the horror!!![/QUOTE]
The funny thing is Lafreniere is not only just 7 games into his D+2 season, but he's also only 62 games into his career. So under normal circumstances he would still be in the middle of his D+1 season.
EdJovanovski
#FreeRempe
I don't think it's honest to just extend his D+1 season into this year because of the shorter schedule. A lot of rookies only play about 50-something games their rookie year, this is still his D+2. Nevermind the fact that he's old for his draft year too. This would nearly be his D+3 season.
The funny thing is Lafreniere is not only just 7 games into his D+2 season, but he's also only 62 games into his career. So under normal circumstances he would still be in the middle of his D+1 season.[/QUOTE]
It's all so absurd. MacKinnon's first four years in the league were pedestrian at best. People need to chill.
EdJovanovski
#FreeRempe
MacKinnon had 24 goals & 63pts as a rookie
And he followed that up with 14, 21, and 16 for 38, 52, and 53 points and was a huge minus each of those three seasons.
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People bitch about Raymond scoring goals already, but he plays on the PP and is allowed to shoot (what a shocking concept). Laf and Kakko find themselves in the position that they have to "earn" it, they have to defer to the Star players, but ALSO are supposed to create for themselves AND play responsible two way hockey. Rangers as an organization are sending conflicting messages about hierarchies and politics, combined with internal team dynamics. Kravtsov should have understood this and not taken it personally but here we are. Also there is a conservative streak in the franchise that puts a lot of stock in Power, even over speed, which I am not certain fits a player like Laf but as he is still very much developing time will tell.
I'm certain both Laf and Kakko will be fine in the end, but the sooner they grow up enough to say f*ck it and start to take matters into their own hands on the ice the better for everyone.
I'm certain both Laf and Kakko will be fine in the end, but the sooner they grow up enough to say f*ck it and start to take matters into their own hands on the ice the better for everyone.
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Followed by 3 consecutive 50 point seasons.
Followed by 3 90+ point seasons.
Took Mack 4 full seasons to hit his stride. I'd argue that he's a perfect example of why you need to be patient with talented hockey players.
EdJovanovski
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dshea19
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2015
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My biggest point of optimism for Laf is his competitiveness. He is always going to look to improve because he wants to win. He may not be a 100 pt player, but I still think he is going to turn out to be good. If he and Kakko can be consistent 70 point guys in their prime, it will not be what we wanted, but it will be productive.
PetahFromBensonhoist
Registered User
I think he had a few of those against Washington and Buffalo near the end of last season.
NickyFotiu
NYR 2024 Cup Champs!
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I think he has a really good ability to lift the puck top shelf on his backhand but that is not enough.
romba
Registered User
He's got great hands in tight, he just doesn't have opportunity to use it though. He's always looking to make the play instead of sneakily getting into position to receive a pass off the cycle.
I think @KreiderBomb has the right idea to put him with Blais and Goodrow for some hard-nosed boardwork that can open room for him to get and receive a clean pass.
I think @KreiderBomb has the right idea to put him with Blais and Goodrow for some hard-nosed boardwork that can open room for him to get and receive a clean pass.
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no if it was kravtsov he would have blamed everyone else for not just giving him the puck and then the goalie not vacating the net to gift him a goal.
otherwise its too much work for him
It just makes too much sense to leave him with Chytil and Blais. He has zero chemistry with zibanejad and kreider. Laffy has been awful... but I'm not worried about him. He will find his stride sooner or later. They need to stop this experiment of him on the right side.... it's not working.
Generally speaking, I'm very optimistic about what the rangers have built here for this year and the future. But my take on Laf is not optimistic relative to expectations...and I doubt it will be popular.
Laf will top out as a middle six, possibly third line player. And to be that he's going to have to embrace a less skill oriented game...and we're going to have to be accepting of it. He's not fast. His instincts relative to offensive creativity are not great and actually look clumsy, particularly on the PP. His shot is average. Hands average at best. There simply are no flashes of elite level skill...ever. Seriously, I can't think of one time he did something and I said, oh there it is...I get what his skill can be. Has anybody else?
The above said, he is pretty big and seems to have a compete level and decent nose for dirty scoring areas on the ice. Run with that. Play like a Blais or a Hunt or a Goodrow...and for now play with one of these guys and someone else with a straight line game...like Chytil. Bang and be defensively responsible. Chip in on offense.
Maybe that will help develop a level of confidence that will allow us to see another level. Maybe not...but at least he'll be a good, useful nhl player, which right now he's not. All of this of course assumes we can accept a not elite Laf as a fan base, on not run him out of town to potentially go be that good middle six guy somewhere else.
Laf will top out as a middle six, possibly third line player. And to be that he's going to have to embrace a less skill oriented game...and we're going to have to be accepting of it. He's not fast. His instincts relative to offensive creativity are not great and actually look clumsy, particularly on the PP. His shot is average. Hands average at best. There simply are no flashes of elite level skill...ever. Seriously, I can't think of one time he did something and I said, oh there it is...I get what his skill can be. Has anybody else?
The above said, he is pretty big and seems to have a compete level and decent nose for dirty scoring areas on the ice. Run with that. Play like a Blais or a Hunt or a Goodrow...and for now play with one of these guys and someone else with a straight line game...like Chytil. Bang and be defensively responsible. Chip in on offense.
Maybe that will help develop a level of confidence that will allow us to see another level. Maybe not...but at least he'll be a good, useful nhl player, which right now he's not. All of this of course assumes we can accept a not elite Laf as a fan base, on not run him out of town to potentially go be that good middle six guy somewhere else.
Synergy27
F-A-C-G-C-E
And has always been one of the best skaters in the game, in addition to displaying elite level puck skills regularly even when not scoring at an absurd rate at first.
FireGerardGallant
The Artist Formerly known as FireDavidQuinn
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The rebuild is a PSYOP performed by the US government to see how much pain and suffering an individual can handle
EdJovanovski
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Synergy27
F-A-C-G-C-E
I’m not sure how you can have that assessment of Laf and still be optimistic about what the team has built. He is the centerpiece. If that’s what he tops out as, this team is going nowhere fast.
Jim Ramsay
Registered User
Not saying it will happen, but In my opinion, if one of Kakko or Laf dont end up being a superstar in the league it will be a huge disappointment.
All the lead up and scout talk leading up to their drafts is that they would be great,cant miss 'stars' in the league
After what happened with the Lias and Kravtsov picks. The team cannot afford for one of Kakko or Laf to not be a superstar
It would be almost impossible to fail on that many top first round draft picks, we shall see
All the lead up and scout talk leading up to their drafts is that they would be great,cant miss 'stars' in the league
After what happened with the Lias and Kravtsov picks. The team cannot afford for one of Kakko or Laf to not be a superstar
It would be almost impossible to fail on that many top first round draft picks, we shall see
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