Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[will1066]

Nathan f***ing MacKinnon, now an all-universe uber-star, went from 53 points in year 4 to 97 points in year 5, 16 goals to 39 goals. Won his championship in year 9. Only after realizing that he needed to take winning seriously and ate nothing but carrots and chia seeds he picked up from the dirt beneath his feet -- and making others follow suit, as a vet not as a kid. This came after 4 seasons of elite production.

Shit takes time. We are not in a DreamWorks animated fairy tale where the kids are the stars and supported by loving vets who want only them to succeed and the head coach is a sage voiced by Robert Downey Jr. who always gives the correct advice right before the exciting last act.

 

[Leonardo87]

I’m not sure where you are going with this. Of course there wouldn’t be as much criticism. But him being the 1OA, and a very highly touted one at that, is exactly the point. The bar is higher. Period.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about. This seems to be happening more (top picks failing) recently than it has in the past. I’m in my forties and really don’t want to make negative comments on younger generations as a whole, but it seems like there is a higher frequency of kids just not having the necessary drive to succeed.

Kids staying up late playing Xbox. Kids with very fragile mental health situations.

In the “real world”, it’s no longer expected for kids to start their life at 18. I have cousins in their 30s who still live with parents. They are seemingly the norm, not exceptions. This is anecdotal I know.

You can call me a boomer if you want. I get it. I’m just seeking an explanation for what’s shaping up to be yet another disappointment being a Ranger fan.

Just saying we may need to be more patient. I think some blame goes to the coaching and organization. I also think Covid played some part as well.

Rangers drafted a 1stOA while being a bubble team but had re-signed Kreider and signed Panarin to a 11 million dollar cap hit contract. So the LW slots in the Top 6 have pretty much been taken. Makes it hard to give opportunities to a 1stOA LW.

Again Laf has to play better no doubt, but where he is now has not been all on him. Imo. Would he strive somewhere else ? I honestly don’t know.

 

[will1066]

I tell you one thing though. This whole experience w/ Laf (and Kakko) has taught me that when someone claims a prospect, who isn’t a high end skater, is hyped to be “NHL ready” out of the gate in today’s league, don’t believe them.

That player may very well be better in the long run. However in today’s NHL, if you need to rely on your strength and skill over speed, then you are not NHL ready and I’d argue not even close.

I remarked yesterday that skating, agility and hands need to be at the top of how talent is evaluated.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Agree he still has a long way to go.

He's consistently making plays that are leading to goals or dangerous scoring chances which is a big improvement, but he continues to be passive when he gets the puck and rarely looks like a threat to score individually. Someone like Martin Necas looks like a threat this season, and KK has overall more tools IMO. He needs to find a way to get himself in dangerous areas more consistently and also just shoot the f***ing puck. His "3rd" assist last night was a solid play with a good outcome, but that's still a situation where you want see him take the puck off the wall to the net himself if he is really supposed to be a star.

I saw this on the main boards and wow is it sobering lmao

"Skip to the 2:40 mark for the hilarity.
Rangers fans going crazy as soon as Marty says the first part of US Devlel….and they realize we took Jack and they “get to take “ Kakko lol.
Entire room of fans that were a wee tad a bit harsh on judging Jack lol."



this too



Feels bad man.

 

[LOFIN]

Feels bad man.

It really doesn't, because we didn't get to pick Hughes so that's the end of it. Who gives a f*** what people said back in the day? We didn't make a mistake with the pick. Nothing to feel bad about.

 

[LokiDog]

Nathan f***ing MacKinnon, now an all-universe uber-star, went from 53 points in year 4 to 97 points in year 5, 16 goals to 39 goals. Won his championship in year 9. Only after realizing that he needed to take winning seriously and ate nothing but carrots and chia seeds he picked up from the dirt beneath his feet -- and making others follow suit, as a vet not as a kid. This came after 4 seasons of elite production.

Shit takes time. We are not in a DreamWorks animated fairy tale where the kids are the stars and supported by loving vets who want only them to succeed and the head coach is a sage voiced by Robert Downey Jr. who always gives the correct advice right before the exciting last act.

While this is true, MacKinnon had a 63 point rookie season, paced for 50 his sophomore season (missed time) and broke 50 in years 3 and 4. I don’t think anyone would be opposed to it taking time to get anywhere near Mackinnon’s current level if we’d had a couple of 40+ point seasons out of either of the two lotto kids by now. With MacKinnon you sort of always knew it was coming. Maybe not the 90-100+ guy he is now, but you could see point-per-game potential from the get go. We’re 3/4 years in hoping to see .5 p/pg eventually.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Nathan f***ing MacKinnon, now an all-universe uber-star, went from 53 points in year 4 to 97 points in year 5, 16 goals to 39 goals. Won his championship in year 9. Only after realizing that he needed to take winning seriously and ate nothing but carrots and chia seeds he picked up from the dirt beneath his feet -- and making others follow suit, as a vet not as a kid. This came after 4 seasons of elite production.

Shit takes time. We are not in a DreamWorks animated fairy tale where the kids are the stars and supported by loving vets who want only them to succeed and the head coach is a sage voiced by Robert Downey Jr. who always gives the correct advice right before the exciting last act.

MacKinnon also won the Calder as an 18 year old

 

[will1066]

While this is true, MacKinnon had a 63 point rookie season, paced for 50 his sophomore season (missed time) and broke 50 in years 3 and 4. I don’t think anyone would be opposed to it taking time to get anywhere near Mackinnon’s current level if we’d had a couple of 40+ point seasons out of either of the two lotto kids by now. With MacKinnon you sort of always knew it was coming. Maybe not the 90-100+ guy he is now, but you could see point-per-game potential from the get go. We’re 3/4 years in hoping to see .5 p/pg eventually.

Im really looking at the jump. Laf might not ever make that jump. But he's 21. This ain't 21 Jump Street.

 

[Crease]

Nathan f***ing MacKinnon, now an all-universe uber-star, went from 53 points in year 4 to 97 points in year 5, 16 goals to 39 goals. Won his championship in year 9. Only after realizing that he needed to take winning seriously and ate nothing but carrots and chia seeds he picked up from the dirt beneath his feet -- and making others follow suit, as a vet not as a kid. This came after 4 seasons of elite production.

Shit takes time. We are not in a DreamWorks animated fairy tale where the kids are the stars and supported by loving vets who want only them to succeed and the head coach is a sage voiced by Robert Downey Jr. who always gives the correct advice right before the exciting last act.

Good post. There is a contingent of reasonable fans here who are saying that the kids have been disappointing, but there is still runway left and it’s too soon to declare anyone a bust. But something has to change.

 

[Chaels Arms]

As long as Panarin and Kreider are on this team Lafreniere is not going to live up to 1OA expectations. The Rangers should have seen this coming a mile away and prepared one of those three players for a career on RW instead of just sticking their heads in the sand and hoping the logjam would just clear of its own accord.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

As long as Panarin and Kreider are on this team Lafreniere is not going to live up to 1OA expectations. The Rangers should have seen this coming a mile away and prepared one of those three players for a career on RW instead of just sticking their heads in the sand and hoping the logjam would just clear of its own accord.

Pure incompetence

It really doesn't, because we didn't get to pick Hughes so that's the end of it. Who gives a f*** what people said back in the day? We didn't make a mistake with the pick. Nothing to feel bad about.

Well Zegras isnt and won’t ever be as good as Hughes, but if we picked him @ 2 nobody would be complaining

 

[LokiDog]

As long as Panarin and Kreider are on this team Lafreniere is not going to live up to 1OA expectations. The Rangers should have seen this coming a mile away and prepared one of those three players for a career on RW instead of just sticking their heads in the sand and hoping the logjam would just clear of its own accord.

If only, eh? I swore he played RW plenty before his Rangers days as well. Apparently ‘honorary’ head coach is included in his 12M contract.

 

[TheDirtyH]

Just among the many ways the rangers make obvious that they have no vision for this team or the kids long term is that lafreniere had a considerable amount of speculation predaft that he might make a better center at the NHL level but this team won't even try him at RW for more than a week every other year.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

It's gotten real ugly around here. I feel bad for this kid.

I don't think I've ever seen this fan base turn on a 21 year old, or almost any player, as viciously as they are with Laf.

I was hoping for a leap in development from him too, but jesus, some of you need to relax.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

It's gotten real ugly around here. I feel bad for this kid.

I don't think I've ever seen this fan base turn on a 21 year old, or almost any player, as viciously as they are with Laf.

I was hoping for a leap in development from him too, but jesus, some of you need to relax.

Rangers as an org deserves most of the blame but Laf deserves some too, he looks like he’s not even trying. At least Kakko looked like he was upset when he was sucking ass

Just among the many ways the rangers make obvious that they have no vision for this team or the kids long term is that lafreniere had a considerable amount of speculation predaft that he might make a better center at the NHL level but this team won't even try him at RW for more than a week every other year.

Clueless organization.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Rangers as an org deserves most of the blame but Laf deserves some too, he looks like he’s not even trying. At least Kakko looked like he was upset when he was sucking ass

Oh, Laf definitely deseerves some blame, not arguing that, but damn some of these comments over the last 24 hours are barbaric

And I thnk Laf just has that goofy look to his face all the time so it looks like he doesn't care.

 

[will1066]

View attachment 632254

If only, eh? I swore he played RW plenty before his Rangers days as well. Apparently ‘honorary’ head coach is included in his 12M contract.

An RW who skates up ice on the left side and habitually looks to go rinkwide to the right side, where he should be, so that he doesn't have to do the work of driving play and can look to receive the puck after he gains the zone. No wonder it is a nub on a f***stick for the left winger on that line.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Oh, Laf definitely deseerves some blame, not arguing that, but damn some of these comments over the last 24 hours are barbaric

And I thnk Laf just has that goofy look to his face all the time so it looks like he doesn't care.

He should demand a trade. Rangers deserve to be shamed publicly. Even more so if he goes to another team and breaks out. Maybe lead to some changes around here .

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

It's gotten real ugly around here. I feel bad for this kid.

I don't think I've ever seen this fan base turn on a 21 year old, or almost any player, as viciously as they are with Laf.

I was hoping for a leap in development from him too, but jesus, some of you need to relax.

After years and years of practice my eyes just glaze over stuff on on this board that's really hateful, or at least proof that someone is angrier about the subject matter than they have any real right to be.

I just don't think this is a hard market to play hockey though. Zach Wilson is some kind of sad regional joke, and there were guys on the radio basically issuing fatwas against Julius Randle after he had a bad year. All the guys we talk about here are basically anonymous.

 

[Ori]

I would not trade him with Auston Matthews based on age differene

 

[mas0764]

Nathan f***ing MacKinnon, now an all-universe uber-star, went from 53 points in year 4 to 97 points in year 5, 16 goals to 39 goals. Won his championship in year 9. Only after realizing that he needed to take winning seriously and ate nothing but carrots and chia seeds he picked up from the dirt beneath his feet -- and making others follow suit, as a vet not as a kid. This came after 4 seasons of elite production.

Shit takes time. We are not in a DreamWorks animated fairy tale where the kids are the stars and supported by loving vets who want only them to succeed and the head coach is a sage voiced by Robert Downey Jr. who always gives the correct advice right before the exciting last act.

Fair but 53 points in year four is a pretty far cry from 31 points which is the current career high and not sure if this year will much surpass that at this rate.

I think a lot of the "Laf sucks, get him out of here" that we've seen in this thread the last few days is a tremendous overreaction but is also the natural outcome of despondence setting in as people begin to feel that it's never going to click for this guy in terms of being the superstar we need.

And the undercurrent to that is the semi acknowledgement that if Laf "blooms" into a 60 point player that we still are going to win zero Cups. Where is our Nathan MacKinnon?

If we don't have one, we don't win Cups.

 

[bhamill]

and batherson too. stoots is running what is equivalent to an nfl team run and shoot offense. of course teams like that win percentage wise generally hover around the .500 mark, which is what the sens are right now. it's fun entertainment is what the sens are providing to their fans.

days before the EV gap was standing at 3 for a while. now it's at 5. that too the gap will widen.

Most frequent linemates are Tkachuk and Giroux.
The gap may widen, it may close, who knows? If either of us could straight up predict the future we’d be pretty wealthy. Haha. But I wouldn’t be surprised either way. The point stands that with first rate linemates, about 8 mins more a game, let’s say 5 EV mins more a game, and the confidence that comes with getting primary powerplay time and the trust of his coach, Stutzle’s EV numbers are still comparable to Lafreniere’s. Safe to say that Laf is scoring at a higher rate P/60 EV. All this is not saying that Laf is playing anywhere near well enough, he’s not. It’s not saying that Stutzle is not a terrific young player, he is. And yes, he definitely looks better than Laf. It’s just some perspective on opportunity and success. Hey, I get it if you have a lack of faith in Laf’s development, but the fact of the matter is he’s not even three months past his 21st birthday, he’s got a lot of runway ahead of him still, very far from a finished product.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Laf for Slaf who says no?

 

[Tob]

Laf for Slaf who says no?

Montreal lol

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

He should demand a trade. Rangers deserve to be shamed publicly. Even more so if he goes to another team and breaks out. Maybe lead to some changes around here .

as long as dolan owns the team you know full well there won't be any changes made. even if the kid somehow starts putting up stoots numbers elsewhere. a thousand fans could picket in front of msg saying dolan sux but so what? he's not selling and going anywhere.

dolan's formula to make money with the team is: sign/trade for 2 name guys for the offense. then somehow fill up the rest of the other roster spots. team plays slightly above .500. reaching the playoff and anything after that is all gravy. dolan know what to do to fill up the garden seats.