Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[haohmaru]

Putting Lafreniere (or Kakko) on PP1 isn't some favor we are doing to the kids cause they are such swell people. This is how they get better, faster.

And if they struggle? Then they sink faster. It works both ways.

 

[Daves a mess]

I went over to the " Canucks interested in Lafreniere" thread like an idiot.

There is no salary cap there apparently.

 

[haveandare]

The rangers of all teams should see that trading him would be dumb. Kakko, a 2OA pick one year before is becoming a key cog now after taking more time than expected and being scratched in a playoff game with the season on the line. But Laf gets scratched in a random regular season game and he must be on the block?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

The rangers of all teams should see that trading him would be dumb. Kakko, a 2OA pick one year before is becoming a key cog now after taking more time than expected and being scratched in a playoff game with the season on the line. But Laf gets scratched in a random regular season game and he must be on the block?

Slow news week. They needed to get clicks somehow.

 

[IDvsEGO]

The rangers of all teams should see that trading him would be dumb. Kakko, a 2OA pick one year before is becoming a key cog now after taking more time than expected and being scratched in a playoff game with the season on the line. But Laf gets scratched in a random regular season game and he must be on the block?

Pretty sure laf was also scratched in april last year, and then had a 2 goal game against detroit.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

I've never seen any other fanbase so incessant over forcing an undeserving player onto a top PP

Im not sure if I would change the Rangers top unit yet, they are still elite generating quality chances/shots (2nd in the league). The 4 righties seems awkward at times and they have severely underperformed their metrics, but changing it might be a careful what you wish for situation.

That being said, what about Laf makes him “undeserving” of a spot on power play 1? I think all of Laf, Chytil, Kakko deserve PP1 time and it sucks they can’t all get it here. If Lafrenière somehow got a look on PP1 I’d be thrilled, definitely wouldn’t be thinking “wow this guy doesn’t deserve it” lmao. Only NYR could draft someone 1OA and think they have to “earn” the right to be placed in positions to succeed while they’re literally producing the same 5v5 as other veterans.

 

[Taluss]

I went over to the " Canucks interested in Lafreniere" thread like an idiot.

There is no salary cap there apparently.

It’s honestly amazing how many threads there are where Rangers fans try to tell the main boards this problem and is goes through one ear and out the other

You’d think they would get it by now

 

[huerter]

Im not sure if I would change the Rangers top unit yet, they are still elite generating quality chances/shots (2nd in the league). The 4 righties seems awkward at times and they have severely underperformed their metrics, but changing it might be a careful what you wish for situation.

That being said, what about Laf makes him “undeserving” of a spot on power play 1? I think all of Laf, Chytil, Kakko deserve PP1 time and it sucks they can’t all get it here. If Lafrenière somehow got a look on PP1 I’d be thrilled, definitely wouldn’t be thinking “wow this guy doesn’t deserve it” lmao. Only NYR could draft someone 1OA and think they have to “earn” the right to be placed in positions to succeed

What do you mean by awkward? Is it awkward when Canada has Bedard, Wright, and Guenther across? It's anything but awkward, it's ideal in the 1-3-1 formation which in 2023 is what everyone is doing.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

What do you mean by awkward? Is it awkward when Canada has Bedard, Wright, and Guenther across? It's anything but awkward, it's ideal in the 1-3-1 formation which in 2023 is what everyone is doing.

I’d say ideal 1-3-1 is having a lefty and righty playing the half walls to open as many one T options as possible. You can run it with any personnel though, Bedard is a great option on his strong side because his wrister is insane and his release/ability to shoot through screens is unreal. Panarin it’s not as natural for him, and it’s a more difficult pass for him to make to Trocheck at the bumper spot as a right handed stick

But i have never heard anyone say yeah let’s not have a one timer option on one of the dots in the 1-3-1. It’s just more complicated when you have Zib/Panarin who are our best players who you want handling the puck the most AKA playing the half walls

 

[mas0764]

the productivity should be coming from his assignment, and that's playing on the 3rd line. he already has trouble with that as is. so when he does finally sorta figure that out then yeah maybe coach will throw him a bone here and there.

ya don't fix something that isn't broken. if it's a fail like early last season in time that will self heal.

yes on paper we should wipe the floor with those non playoff contending teams. but then again games are actually played out on the rinks, not on sheets of paper.

let's use philly as an example. yeah we know on paper overall they suck. but here's the thing - i don't take any team for granted. if we're scheduled against the flyers my concern is whether or not hayes, konecky, van riem, or someone else that's capable of inflicting damage at anytime is going to our team's ass real good. so unless we have a substantial lead in a game against such opposition no way i'm tweaking that PP1.

The development of Lafreniere is broken. It needs fixing.

 

[Kords]

It’s honestly amazing how many threads there are where Rangers fans try to tell the main boards this problem and is goes through one ear and out the other

You’d think they would get it by now

Most Rangers threads on the main board are just hangouts for NJD/NYI/PIT fans. They believe what they want and live in an anti Ranger echo chamber.

I don't even waste my time on the main boards until the playoffs. The Rangers board has more than enough negativity as it is.

 

[JHS]

Cause walls of text are unclear. Specific points require specific responses.

Oh, so I “just don’t understand hockey culture.”

Nuh uh, you don’t.

The classic fallback when you don’t have a response. The coaches know better!

Despite the fact that they clearly make very serious mistakes literally all the time.

Putting Laf on PP1 isn’t “handing” him anything. It’s developing him and it is what is best for the org. I heard these same idiotic points last year about Kreider and how you couldn’t “demote” him to the third line because hockey culture. Fast forward to this year and he’s been on the third line for long stretches of time and it’s fine, just like it would have been fine last year. Hockey culture is a crutch people use when they don’t have any real argument and it’s the exact same regarding why Laf can’t be put on PP1…. And it’s just as wrong.

Funny how it wasn’t how things work last year except now it is how things work. Ooops, they always work, it’s about making them work and not silly platitudes.

Guy- you must be of the generation who thinks everything in life is just handed to them on a platter. You can’t even identify one thing beyond “passing”( yeah because he’s racking up the assist at alarming rates…) that he does well. You want him given powerplay time when the powerplay ranks in the top 50% in the league without him, you espouse nonsense on this point over and over again and expect others to roll over to the “play the long game because it’s all about development” argument. Let me wake you up to a little fact some of us get. NHL hockey is about winning games. It’s not about glorifying someone’s ego, “developing” them into anything. It’s about wins. It’s that simple- you win a game things are good.

Laf could score 40 this year, next year, 8 years from now— whatever. Literally none of that will be because he’s used in the powerplay this season, gifted ice time he’s not deserved, put in places despite what’s best for the team— he will become a dominant force in this league when he decides he wants to give a crap and put in the time it takes to be something. Stats don’t lie- he’s a bad first overall right now. Bad- could he become something? Maybe??? But you’re putting him on the powerplay for the sake of whatever development you think he will do is foolish.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

Guy- you must be of the generation who thinks everything in life is just handed to them on a platter. You can’t even identify one thing beyond “passing”( yeah because he’s racking up the assist at alarming rates…) that he does well. You want him given powerplay time when the powerplay ranks in the top 50% in the league without him, you espouse nonsense on this point over and over again and expect others to roll over to the “play the long game because it’s all about development” argument. Let me wake you up to a little fact some of us get. NHL hockey is about winning games. It’s not about glorifying someone’s ego, “developing” them into anything. It’s about wins. It’s that simple- you win a game things are good.

Laf could score 40 this year, next year, 8 years from now— whatever. Literally none of that will be because he’s used in the powerplay this season, gifted ice time he’s not deserved, put in places despite what’s best for the team— he will become a dominate force in this league when he decides he wants to give a crap and put in the time it takes to be something. Stats don’t lie- he’s a bad first overall right now. Bad- could he become something? Maybe??? But you’re putting him on the powerplay for the sake of whatever development you think he will do is foolish.

*Dominant. Not dominate

 

[JHS]

For every single other 1OA pick I can think of (that was unproven at the NHL level), this is exactly how it works. Pretty disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

Now that is because usually they step onto the worst or one of the worst rosters in the league.

I can certainly understand why the NYR have done what they have done. Why the coaching staff whose career is primarily dependant on winning today, has handled this the way they have. But the end result is Lafreniere has walked a different path than basically any other 1OA pick has had to walk. To say it's purely on him for not "making the first powerplay unit" is ludicrous.

Totally untrue- your point further along disagrees with yourself. Most top overall picks are the most talented guys on the team. That’s why they get the opportunity they get. Laf is not!!! Why is this hard to understand for you guys??? If he was the most talented he’d be playing on the powerplay!

Gifting someone an opportunity means they get something they don’t deserve. If every other top pick was drafted on a terrible team and they were better than most of the guys and earned their opportunity they played! If they stunk- they did not!!!

 

[hackeyman]

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

HOLY f*** IS ALL I CAN SAY !

St. Louis is a stupid comparison for a thousand reasons .
Thorton led the Bruins in scoring in his 20 year old year.
Lecavalier led the lightning in scoring in his 19 year old .
Iginla was 4th on his team in scoring his first year at 19 and was second in Calder voting.
Mackinnon WON THE f***ING CALDER TROPHY as an 18 year old !!! and scored 3 more points than 28 year old teammate Paul Statsny.
Hubredeau WON THE f***ING CALDER TROPHY as a 19 year old and was 2nd on team scoring.
Barkov led the panthers in goal scoring as well as led them in point per game points scoring as a 20 year old and was 6th in Selke voting.
Buchnevich.......seriously ???

 

[UnSandvich]

Totally untrue- your point further along disagrees with yourself. Most top overall picks are the most talented guys on the team. That’s why they get the opportunity they get. Laf is not!!! Why is this hard to understand for you guys??? If he was the most talented he’d be playing on the powerplay!

Gifting someone an opportunity means they get something they don’t deserve. If every other top pick was drafted on a terrible team and they were better than most of the guys and earned their opportunity they played! If they stunk- they did not!!!

Funny how you removed the Jack Hughes thing almost immediately after making your post. Almost as if it directly disproved the narrative you're trying to push

 

[huerter]

I’d say ideal 1-3-1 is having a lefty and righty playing the half walls to open as many one T options as possible. You can run it with any personnel though, Bedard is a great option on his strong side because his wrister is insane and his release/ability to shoot through screens is unreal. Panarin it’s not as natural for him, and it’s a more difficult pass for him to make to Trocheck at the bumper spot as a right handed stick

But i have never heard anyone say yeah let’s not have a one timer option on one of the dots in the 1-3-1. It’s just more complicated when you have Zib/Panarin who are our best players who you want handling the puck the most AKA playing the half walls

Bedard in the box so they put righthanded Stankoven there. How does Panarin compare to him? #Tinkering

 

[RangerBoy]

These Vancouver people are stupid ass motherf***ers. They place such crazy price tags on their players. It was Miller last season.



Miller is the same guy from the Rangers. He got the bag from Vancouver.

7 years/$56M. Enjoy.

Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic proposed Miller to the Rangers for Lafreniere. These people get paid to write this trash. The Athletic has become trash. I planned to not renew my subscription but they offered me $12 for 12 months after I attempted to stop the renewal.

Horvat will get the same contract.

The Rangers have no room for those contracts.

Brock Boeser is another one. I read an article by Matt Larkin who used to write for The Hockey News. He writes for Frank Seravalli's website now. He linked Boeser to the Rangers when Boeser was made available by Vancouver. The Rangers can’t afford that contract. Emily Kaplan was on Vince's podcast before Christmas. She mentioned Boeser to the Rangers. Vince knows the Rangers can't afford him and he was nice to her. The Rangers can't afford him. The guy is overpriced.

Vancouver had this crazy asking price for Miller. They have the same demands for Horvat. A young center or young RHD for Horvat. High price for a rental.

Teams don't have the space to re-sign these players.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

Bedard in the box so they put righthanded Stankoven there. How does Panarin compare to him? #Tinkering

As with all of your posts, I have no idea what your point is or what you are trying to say

 

[huerter]

As with all of your posts, I have no idea what your point is or what you are trying to say

You made it seem like Bedard's skillset makes him an exception to play there but Panarin being right handed isn't suited for it. When he was in the box and Canada had a 2 min PP, they put Stankoven in that spot. Every guy on the roster gets PP time in junior. They could have picked anyone. Why wouldn't they put a lefty there?

 

[DanielBrassard]

You made it seem like Bedard's skillset makes him an exception to play there but Panarin being right handed isn't suited for it. When he was in the box and Canada had a 2 min PP, they put Stankoven in that spot. Every guy on the roster gets PP time in junior. They could have picked anyone. Why wouldn't they put a lefty there?

It's not like LH shots on the right wall on a 1-3-1 PP don't work though, look at Tampa/ Washington/Boston. What's more important is that the bumper's stick is aligned with the net front guys stick so there's the threat of a pass from down low to the bumper which teams have to account for and opens up more seams across and up top.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

These Vancouver people are stupid ass motherf***ers. They place such crazy price tags on their players. It was Miller last season.



Miller is the same guy from the Rangers. He got the bag from Vancouver.
7 years/$56M. Enjoy.

Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic proposed Miller to the Rangers for Lafreniere. These people get paid to write this trash. The Athletic has become trash. I planned to not renew my subscription but they offered me $12 for 12 months after I attempted to stop the renewal.

Horvat will get the same contract.

The Rangers have no room for those contracts.

Brock Boeser is another one. I read an article by Matt Larkin who used to write for The Hockey News. He writes for Frank Seravalli's website now. He linked Boeser to the Rangers when Boeser was made available by Vancouver. The Rangers can’t afford that contract. Emily Kaplan was on Vince's podcast before Christmas. She mentioned Boeser to the Rangers. Vince knows the Rangers can't afford him and he was nice to her. The Rangers can't afford him. The guy is overpriced.

Vancouver had this crazy asking price for Miller. They have the same demands for Horvat. A young center or young RHD for Horvat. High price for a rental.

Teams don't have the space to re-sign these players.

It should be common knowledge league wide that the Rangers have no cap space

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

The development of Lafreniere is broken. It needs fixing.

the fixing reply was in regard to the PP1 unit.

there's still a lot of hockey left to be played. so maybe there is some good stuff that the kid might show unexpectedly.

before the scratch i did notice a couple of positive things from the stats page.
1) ppg rate is improving slightly each season.
2) he does play a physical game as the number of hits will attest to that

he's only 21 years old.

i don't know what the expectations are for most this season but i figure 40 pts is not an unreasonable expectation. hitting that mark should be some kind of indication that the ranger organization has someone that is worthwhile in investing more patience going forward. then perhaps we'll all discover who is he going to amount to as next season will be the audition that truly counts.

 

[JHS]

Funny how you removed the Jack Hughes thing almost immediately after making your post. Almost as if it directly disproved the narrative you're trying to push

I deleted it because I fact checked myself. He got 4 powerplay goals in his first year. Thanks for monitoring my posts so closely and hanging on every word I write.

Jack Hughes is already 20 times the hockey player Laf is. Bet that hurts a little.

Again, if Laf gets better it won’t be because of any powerplay time which is the entire point of this insane debate which I’m basically done with.

 

[UnSandvich]

I deleted it because I fact checked myself. He got 4 powerplay goals in his first year. Thanks for monitoring my posts so closely and hanging on every word I write.

Jack Hughes is already 20 times the hockey player Laf is. Bet that hurts a little.

Again, if Laf gets better it won’t be because of any powerplay time which is the entire point of this insane debate which I’m basically done with.

I was in the middle of responding to your very obviously incorrect post when you deleted it. And why would it hurt, Hughes is older, and his team actually gave him the TOI he needed to succeed?

If Lafreniere gets better, PP1 time will absolutely be part of it. It'd both build confidence, and expose him to a part of the game where his skillset can grow and be nurtured. If he's to be a long-term Top 6 option (you know the goal of drafting him), he should be getting PP time so the team can figure out how best to be using him there. Otherwise, when the vets fall off (moreso than they already are), the team will be up shit creek because they prioritzed immediate results over developing the most important pieces of the team's future. Well, it can if you actually understand development can happen in games, unlike the moron currently working as the team's head coach