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Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière: Part II

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Laf has played 63 games, 56 of which were in a COVID year, and missed 8 months of normal development due to COVID. Why hasn't he broken Gretzky's goal scoring record yet?
 
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jay from jersey said:
Agree. Covid was basically a throw away year for development.
Stamkos, if you remember also had issues early with trying to defer too much and not trusting his skillset at the NHL level.
It got to the point where Tampa was considering trading him.
Sather had a package ready headlined by Callahan and Girardi, Tampa balked at the 11th hour.
The rest is history.
I see many parallels with stamkos/LaF development and many similar problems they both had/have as kids.
They were both very highly touted, and both demonstrated an elite shot early that their clubs wished they’d use more.
I personally, think Laf will be ok. I don’t think we’re going to see a 100pt guy, but a wing that will grow into a leader, and score between 70–80 pts maybe hit 90 in a season or 2.
He’s got good size and hands already. He’s got to get a little stronger. Both on his skates, and in the weight room.
There’s going to come a point where he lets loose and begins to trust his skillset. That’s when we’re going to see the player we hoped we got right away when we drafted him.
Right now he’s still a small fish in big pond syndrome.
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yea i think stamkos, huberdeau, and barkov are guys to look at for development...its not always at 18. people get jaded by the mcdavids/matthews. they are outliers, not the expectation
the part i bolded is something i think is so important and so many miss. like a ton of people just wanted him played top line top pp mins all year last year because he was a 1st overall pick and thats what would bring that out of him. it doesn't work like that in real life. you're in a locker room of grown men, you're part of a team. the last thing you can do to a kid is push an artemi panarin aside to give him those mins - thats a horrible situation for the locker room dynamic and that would most certainly be reflected on the ice. most 1st overall picks go to more desperate situations where by default they're leaned on by the team from the jump and that puts them in a place mentally to do just that. you can't synthetically create that for a kid though in terms of knowing he's the guy for his team and playing that way - you cant force that in how you deploy him, it has to emerge organically. i still say the best hockey we saw from him last year was on the line w/ chytil and i believe gauthier. when he played with them he was so much more comfortable possessing the puck and actively trying to make plays with it...in other words he felt like "the guy" with them and played like it. he was fine w/ mika/buch after that becaus he was more comfortable at this level, but then and this year now with mika/kreider he was more filler on that line. part of it is how he plays doesn't mesh perfectly too, but even when he gets the puck he's too eager to just move it and not take any chances. i hope he sticks with chytil / blais a while and we get to see him getting the puck in better positions for him and then looking to do more with it. that at least can let his confidence take off and maximize what he can be today, not to mention give us a ton of depth for production, as he continues to physically develops into what he will be in time.
one final thing i think people completely take for granted is what he's shown as a leader in a lot of areas. i mentioned him running the convo on the bench as a rookie, the celebrations w/ teammates where you can see how popular he is, already had more than a few goals in huge spots - his first in ot, the winner in buffalo late 3rd last year, 2 late winners this year in 7 games - he's stepped up in big moments. he's a leader, he's shown an edge physically that will only increase...he's the kinda player that will thrive in playoff hockey - his mental makeup and game translate. its just as rare to have that confidence in big moments and deliver... and emerge as a presence/personality in the locker room at 18/19 as it is to score 80 points - even more impressive when you're not playing a leading role in the lineup.
 
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He needs to play between the dots. He had chemistry with Buch at the end of the season... he needs to find a buddy to work with. Maybe Blais is that guy
 
EdJovanovski said:
This video is just sad lol you could compile a way more impressive one of Kravtsov’s 20 game stint.
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Then prove it.

Show us all.

And don't give me an "I don't know how to edit videos" excuse because there's dozens of programs out that that let you do it easily.

So if you say you can put together the footage, put up or shut up.
 
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Glen Sathers Cigar said:
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I watched this entire video from start to finish. There were a couple plays and a couple of goals that made be say, "that took some skill". The rest of the video, it was quite underwhelming. I felt like that highlight reel could have been any other "average", young nhl'er with relatively mundane plays and non-electrifying goals given similar amount of games played and similar ice time.

To me, I just have not seen enough flashes of brilliance to make me think the kid is going to be a superstar, or at least a high quality first liner in a coupe of years.

I will reserve permeant judgment until this season is over at least. However, this is my feeling at the moment.

Same goes for Kakko.
 
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Peltz said:
Then prove it.

Show us all.

And don't give me an "I don't know how to edit videos" excuse because there's dozens of programs out that that let you do it easily.

So if you say you can put together the footage, put up or shut up.
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I know how to edit videos, only hard part will be where do people find old game footage other than just highlights? Like full games so I could put together back checking and all sorts of things
Have you seen the highlights of Krav in the KHL? Even those are way more impressive than Laf has ever looked.

Looks way better than Laf or Kakko ever have in the NHL here ^
 
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EdJovanovski said:
I know how to edit videos, only hard part will be where do people find old game footage other than just highlights? Like full games so I could put together back checking and all sorts of things
Have you seen the highlights of Krav in the KHL? Even those are way more impressive than Laf has ever looked.

Looks way better than Laf or Kakko ever have in the NHL here ^
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We are talking about highlight reel plays. All game highlights are available online from the 20 games he's played. If it didn't make the reels, then it's not comparable footage to what is in that laf video.
 
Peltz said:
We are talking about highlight reel plays. All game highlights are available online from the 20 games he's played. If it didn't make the reels, then it's not comparable footage to what is in that laf video.
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The guy who made that Laf video went through all his game footage, not just from highlights. Because there are several nothing plays that aren't in the highlights there. Kravtsov has a lot of flashy between the legs dangles, great back checks and forechecks that I'd have access to if I accessed all the game tape. While playing on the 4th line with Howden & Rooney. Do you really think Laf looked better than Kravtsov in the NHL?
 
mrmovies779 said:
To perform in big spots/games isnt a thing?I see your new to sports
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Pretty sure he's saying it because of some article that came from some advanced stat nerds that said clutch isn't real. It is certainly real. I have the clutch gene :naughty: I have scored several game tying goals with less than 10 secs left even when there were guys on my team who were legit NHL prospects; when it was all on the line for some reason it would just give me this adrenaline rush to takeover that others didn't have. There are many players like this, Buch has scored multiple tying goals with 10 seconds left in games. Matt Cooke who was a horrible player scored two game tying goals in the playoffs with IIRC 1.2 seconds left & 5.7 seconds left in each. One being in a game 7.
 
EdJovanovski said:
Pretty sure he's saying it because of some article that came from some advanced stat nerds that said clutch isn't real. It is certainly real. I have the clutch gene :naughty: I have scored several game tying goals with less than 10 secs left even when there were guys on my team who were legit NHL prospects; when it was all on the line for some reason it would just give me this adrenaline rush to takeover that others didn't have. There are many players like this, Buch has scored multiple tying goals with 10 seconds left in games. Matt Cooke who was a horrible player scored two game tying goals in the playoffs with IIRC 1.2 seconds left & 5.7 seconds left in each. One being in a game 7.
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This is legitimately funny post. I'm just not sure if it's intended to be.

I can't decide if you using anecdotes from your own amateur hockey career or random late goals that you've seen on TV is a more amusing attempt at proving that the clutch gene is a real thing.

The real irony is that you didn't use your favorite scapegoat as proof, seeing as Drury turned the myth of the clutch gene into a $50M+ contract.
 
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clmetsfan said:
This is legitimately funny post. I'm just not sure if it's intended to be.

I can't decide if you using anecdotes from your own amateur hockey career or random late goals that you've seen on TV is a more amusing attempt at proving that the clutch gene is a real thing.

The real irony is that you didn't use your favorite scapegoat as proof, seeing as Drury turned the myth of the clutch gene into a $50M+ contract.
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There are reasons we coin terms like Justin Williams Mr. Game 7, choking, and stage fright. There's no gene for it, but it isn't make believe.
 
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I'm looking for playmaking. I don't care about a goal reel. Cole Caufield was making plays constantly in the playoffs right off the jump.
 
EdJovanovski said:
The guy who made that Laf video went through all his game footage, not just from highlights. Because there are several nothing plays that aren't in the highlights there. Kravtsov has a lot of flashy between the legs dangles, great back checks and forechecks that I'd have access to if I accessed all the game tape. While playing on the 4th line with Howden & Rooney. Do you really think Laf looked better than Kravtsov in the NHL?
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Jovo I think you need to take a step back on the Kravtsov stuff. You've built up the thought of what he was in the NHL to a far greater degree than what he actually was. He was fine. He showed some flashes but also made a ton of mistakes and a whole lot of nothing as well. Which was expected, he was getting his feet wet. But this idea that Kravtsov stepped in and was some amazing superstar immediately is just not true. He had enough flashes to get people excited but he was also the shiny new toy we were all waiting for which played a role in how people were viewing his play as well.

He looked fine but he was not this shockingly great stand out that you seem to be representing him as.
 
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