Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

Watching his 2020 WJC highlights, it’s incredible how much quicker he looks out there both in terms of skating and moving the puck.

i was more impressed with cozens and hayton

 

[IDvsEGO]

I mean, your stats would mean something if you didn't cherry pick this exact moment to compare p/60's of guys on teams who still find ways to produce while the team around them is absolute shit. Stutzle and Zegras already eclipsed Laf in total point production and are considered stars on their team. Lundell, who is a whole season's worth of games behind Laf is just 10 points behind him career wise. Doesn't mean much to others, but the rest of Laf's draft class wasn't 1OA.

You say “guys who find ways to produce while the team is shit” and I see
“Guys who get pp time and more overall ice time”

Also it’s not cherry picking to take the current stats. It would be cherry picking to go back to a day when Laf had a 2 pt game and use the numbers at that moment.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

goodrow has 8 goals this season. let's drop someone off PP1. goodrow's goal tally would be higher. of course i kid.

goodrow has 8. laffy has 5.

goodrow has a chance to eclipse his season high total this season. can laffy hat the 40 pt mark? is it too much to ask for the kid to hit the 40 pt mark?

 

[romba]

Trouba is the biggest weakness on PP2. Watch him, everytime he gets the puck all he’s looking to do is get it on net. He winds up and is looking for screens. There is no attempt to make a play with the puck to find an open man

Trouba generally makes a couple of simple passes first, usually to Kakko on the right half wall, then the play stagnates so Kakko under pressure sends it back to Trouba to reset and that’s when Trouba says ‘we’ll I tried’ (lol) and just closes his eyes and shoots it

 

[ReddestRum]

You say “guys who find ways to produce while the team is shit” and I see
“Guys who get pp time and more overall ice time”

Also it’s not cherry picking to take the current stats. It would be cherry picking to go back to a day when Laf had a 2 pt game and use the numbers at that moment.

I mean, it is what it is. Stuz and Zegras are the point producers on their team. Arguing that they get more ice time and PP time is a dead horse at this point and worthy of a 'duh' response. Points aside, they play like superstar players and are higher in skill than most players on their team. Laf's certainly not in their league yet. You can actually see that when they play. Lundell is even making a name for himself and barely has any PP points to show for it. Not only that, but as a C his two-way game needs to be very strong.

I get comparing Laf other young players, but I wish we'd take it down a notch in who we choose to compare him with. If advanced stats is all the ammo you have for the comparison, then it just feels like cope. Keep doing you though!

Trouba generally makes a couple of simple passes first, usually to Kakko on the right half wall, then the play stagnates so Kakko under pressure sends it back to Trouba to reset and that’s when Trouba says ‘we’ll I tried’ (lol) and just closes his eyes and shoots it

When PP2 actually gets time, and they have been coming on in the 1 minute mark left of the PP lately, they look like absolute shit. They seem to be using PP1's configuration which makes Trouba the driving force of the PP and that dude is just going to shoot from the point into traffic the whole time. They just kind of skate the perimeter and the PKers just need to stand still while our guys gas themselves skating nowhere and chasing the puck when it gets cleared.

Miller for Trouba on PP2?

 

[NickyFotiu]

I


He’s pacing for 38 points and a career low in goals. I feel like we’ve seen Chytil come to camp looking thicker and stronger, we’ve seen Kakko spend his summer training with Rantanen. Every time I see Laf he seems to be all smiles and laughs and smack talking with the veterans. I’m not seeing 50 this year. I’m not seeing future all star.

Look how many seasons it took Chytil. Laf will mature as well. GG was right to give him a kick in the butt.

 

[bhamill]

I mean, your stats would mean something if you didn't cherry pick this exact moment to compare p/60's of guys on teams who still find ways to produce while the team around them is absolute shit. Stutzle and Zegras already eclipsed Laf in total point production and are considered stars on their team. Lundell, who is a whole season's worth of games behind Laf is just 10 points behind him career wise. Doesn't mean much to others, but the rest of Laf's draft class wasn't 1OA.

Ummm. How do you cherry pick the exact moment that a discussion is taking place? Hahaha. Their numbers are their numbers. Right now during the discussion that is being had. P/60 EV is a fine measurement. Its not the end all be all but it’s less weighted by TOI and PP time. It seems your real problem with it is that it bears out that despite Laf not playing anywhere near as well as we expect, he’s still not performing badly in comparison to his peers. It’s counter the ”Laf is playing worse than [pick a name]” narrative. It’s what they call an inconvenient truth.

 

[LokiDog]

Look how many seasons it took Chytil. Laf will mature as well. GG was right to give him a kick in the butt.

Took Chytil to what? Look like he MIGHT score 50-60 points in the NHL one day? I’m not saying Chytil hasn’t taken steps but he’s not exactly lighting the world on fire. If that’s how long it takes our only 1OA puck to find a 50+ point season, we might as well start selling everything over 25 years old now and sit back and wait.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Laf looks a little lost out there. Still a ways to go but other than a couple hits we aren’t really seeing a po’d response from the benching.

Looks like a confidence issue to me

 

[rangersfansince08]

When will GG put him back into the lineup? Next game?

 

[bhamill]

Took Chytil to what? Look like he MIGHT score 50-60 points in the NHL one day? I’m not saying Chytil hasn’t taken steps but he’s not exactly lighting the world on fire. If that’s how long it takes our only 1OA puck to find a 50+ point season, we might as well start selling everything over 25 years old now and sit back and wait.

To mature into the player that leads the team in P/60 EV if I’m recalling correctly and interpreting the intent of the post. The higher point totals will come with TOI and PP time when you have good P/60 EV numbers. This isn’t esoteric, it’s intuitive and perfectly logical.
Some of these negative takes are pretty amazing. May as well sell everyone over 25? Hahaha. I know you’re being facetious but come on.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Laf looks a little lost out there. Still a ways to go but other than a couple hits we aren’t really seeing a po’d response from the benching.

Looks like a confidence issue to me

Soft mentality.

 

[bhamill]

Laf looks a little lost out there. Still a ways to go but other than a couple hits we aren’t really seeing a po’d response from the benching.

Looks like a confidence issue to me

Couple of good hits, good defense, some good play in the O zone. I’m seeing more attention to the things he was being lax in. Probably what he was instructed by the coaches to do. I’m not sure anger would be a better response. A couple of GOALS would, hahah, but baby steps I guess.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Seems like the healthy scratch did nothing

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Couple of good hits, good defense, some good play in the O zone. I’m seeing more attention to the things he was being lax in. Probably what he was instructed by the coaches to do. I’m not sure anger would be a better response. A couple of GOALS would, hahah, but baby steps I guess.

You don’t need to necessarily see anger but some kind of fire/passion no?

 

[bl02]

Seems like the healthy scratch did nothing

Did he play? where did playoff Laf go? Left his heart in Canada over the summer I guess

 

[bleedblue94]

Seems like the healthy scratch did nothing

Are we surprised?

 

[DanielBrassard]

Are we surprised?

No lol

 

[bouds]

He is what he is, not much else to say.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Couple of good hits, good defense, some good play in the O zone. I’m seeing more attention to the things he was being lax in. Probably what he was instructed by the coaches to do. I’m not sure anger would be a better response. A couple of GOALS would, hahah, but baby steps I guess.

This is what I hate about how this organization develops scoring forwards. This is seen as a plus?

He's given Vesey on the offwing, basically doesn't produce much, but then the attaboys will start for his defense. He's not here to play defense. Reminiscent of when Nash was scoring 25 goals a year at the end and everyone raved about his backchecking.

This is not how you develop elite scoring players. His play has fallen off of late, but I really don't see how this sort of deployment helps his development at all.

Where is the communication. Does he understand he's expected to score? Or does he feel like he was benched because he wasn't physical enough??? What's the message here?

Laf is really more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, his numbers the early part of his career aside. Look at his numbers from juniors.

TBH, not really happy with his intensity or with the coaching staff's use of him of late, but PLEASE let's not start lowering expectations for him. The last thing we need is another mediocre "two way forward."

 

[bouds]

Elite scorers are usually elite from the jump. There’s nothing elite about his game. Where is his game breaking playmaking? MIA

 

[haohmaru]

This is what I hate about how this organization develops scoring forwards. This is seen as a plus?

He's given Vesey on the offwing, basically doesn't produce much, but then the attaboys will start for his defense. He's not here to play defense. Reminiscent of when Nash was scoring 25 goals a year at the end and everyone raved about his backchecking.

Every player in the NHL is expected to "play defense" and nobody is raving about LaF's ability to do that, either.

Whatever it is that's holding him back from taking a step forward, it's not the Rangers.

 

[ReddestRum]

Couple of good hits, good defense, some good play in the O zone. I’m seeing more attention to the things he was being lax in. Probably what he was instructed by the coaches to do. I’m not sure anger would be a better response. A couple of GOALS would, hahah, but baby steps I guess.

Literally made one good pass in the O-zone to Kakko in the first five of the game, dumped the puck a few times, but largely invisible, picked up a -1 for his trouble. What attention to what things?

 

[Rangers in 7]

Are you guys serious….he played 11 minutes tonight….he needs to be told to go out there and try to make plays. If he makes a mistake that’s fine. His first game back after being scratched he plays a responsible game and you guys complain. If he had gone out and had 3 turnovers and an assist you’d complain. Again he played 11 minutes……for that matter so did chytil who has been playing great of late

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Elite scorers are usually elite from the jump. There’s nothing elite about his game. Where is his game breaking playmaking? MIA

Not always true.

Joe Thornton
Martin St. Louis
Vincent Lecavalier
Sedins
Iginla
Buchnevich (> PPG, I'd consider him elite right now)
MacKinnon
Huberdeau
Barkov

Among others