Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[SA16]

Kyle Connor/Alexis Lafreniere is one of the strangest comps I've ever seen.

 

[LORDE]

If you can show me a 22 year old making 2.5 mil or less who can put up 40 points on the 3rd line with no PP time, be my guest. Trading him doesn't really save any cap space when Goodrow is right there as a cap casualty and your not replacing his production off the scrap heap. So, again, whats the point of moving on right now?

IMO it's not about replacing Laf right now... it's about getting anything of value for him. I'd take a 1st at this point & be fine with it.

 

[Fitzy]

If you can show me a 22 year old making 2.5 mil or less who can put up 40 points on the 3rd line with no PP time, be my guest. Trading him doesn't really save any cap space when Goodrow is right there as a cap casualty and your not replacing his production off the scrap heap. So, again, whats the point of moving on right now?

He was a complete passenger on a line with two good developing forwards. He brought nothing to the table.

 

[McRanger92]

He was a complete passenger on a line with two good developing forwards. He brought nothing to the table.

He had one less point than Kakko. Hardly a reason to push him out the door

 

[McRanger92]

What Drury wants and is capable of delivering and what Laffy needs may not be the same thing. Laffy is part of this too, not just a name on a roster. From his perspective, would it not be easier to start over with a clean slate elsewhere? From the Rangers perspective, the lines are wonky already and they won't get better without trades.

Lafreniere absolutely needs to get better himself, I've said that a number of times. I just don't think the time to move Laf is now. I think the team is getting another kick at the can as currently constructed regardless of who they hire as coach. This isn't a Kravtsov situation, and even if you use him as an example, Drury held onto him until he turned to dust value wise. The GM is going to try to extract any usefulness out of the homegrown players he can, for better or worse.

 

[bleedblue94]

Fil and Kakko opting to go just makes me hate Laf even more.

It's a contract thing, there's no way his agent would advise him to go with him being without a contract right now. If he goes over there and suffer some kind of catastrophic injury there's all kinds of insurance issues and quite honestly he's going to end up costing himself even more money then is played in the last 3 years

 

[McRanger92]

Hold on a second, he was 4th on the team in 5v5 TOI before they added Kane and Tarasenko, and even with them included he was in the top-6 in ice time. He might have been on the so-called third line but it wasn't given 3rd line ice time. Plus his scoring rate was at a 3rd line rate so it's not like he was outproducing his usage. He also didn't get no PP time, he got quite a bit he just isn't any good on the PP. Why do you have to use hyperbole or exaggerate just to try to make him look better than he is? As for finding players who can do what he does there are quite a few although I'm not sure how many are 22 or younger but he's not the only one.

I would just like to see Lafreniere & Kakko in roles that other top picks have received before I trade either one. I dont think that is a crazy take. Regardless of whether you think laf is a clear bust and has no talent, which plenty of people are saying, it's a reactionary move to trade the highest draft pick in team history at his lowest value at age 21 coming off his ELC. The odds of a trade like that working out for Drury and the Rangers are miniscule. He's not a lost cause.

The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results right? Well we've had the exact same conversation on the boards about Chytil in summer 2021 and Kakko summer 2022. Both of those guys made sizable leaps the first year of their bridge deals. Kakko had the worst analytics in hockey 3 years ago now we are all rightfully slotting him into 1RW. I myself was ready to trade Chytil for JT Miller until last year's playoff run, what a disaster that wouldve been.

I dont even really care about the counting stats, I just think the Kids will all play with more confidence if they are relied on and trusted more. And slow development isnt no development.

 

[bleedblue94]

He was a complete passenger on a line with two good developing forwards. He brought nothing to the table.

Last year in the playoffs when that line was so good they were all contributing. I saw the same thing you did this year, and in the playoffs it was even worse which is why that line was so unimpactful this year

 

[Fitzy]

Last year in the playoffs when that line was so good they were all contributing. I saw the same thing you did this year, and in the playoffs it was even worse which is why that line was so unimpactful this year

I hope they try Othmann there for a few games next season

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

"Kyle Connor is nothing like Lafreniere, what are you talking about. Connor skates extremely well, has a hard and accurate wrist shot with a really quick release and a good one-timer, and well above average puck handling skills. Where are the similarities between the two players? Sometimes I feel like I am watching a different league than you guys."

"Kyle Connor/Alexis Lafreniere is one of the strangest comps I've ever seen."

the above replies: THANK YOU!!!! some semblance of normalcy around here.

this:
"He could easily - EASILY - still be Kyle Connor."

i i i just can't anymore!!!! if this was an attempt of some sort of levity i am not amused. this is frankly just as unamusing as the 15 minutes i spent on watching that pile of shit movie called deadpool. the scary part of this statement is this guy was being dead serious. right?

can anyone here explain how i can put a member on block/ignore? i'm totally done with this guy. this guy makes me sick!!!! even looking at that avatar of his - it just sucks man.

 

[bleedblue94]

I hope they try Othmann there for a few games next season

I kind of hope that he actually spends at least half the year in the AHL dominating and developing his offensive game at the pro level before he gets stuffed up on a third line with this team

 

[McRanger92]

"Kyle Connor is nothing like Lafreniere, what are you talking about. Connor skates extremely well, has a hard and accurate wrist shot with a really quick release and a good one-timer, and well above average puck handling skills. Where are the similarities between the two players? Sometimes I feel like I am watching a different league than you guys."

"Kyle Connor/Alexis Lafreniere is one of the strangest comps I've ever seen."

the above replies: THANK YOU!!!! some semblance of normalcy around here.

this:
"He could easily - EASILY - still be Kyle Connor."

i i i just can't anymore!!!! if this was an attempt of some sort of levity i am not amused. this is frankly just as unamusing as the 15 minutes i spent on watching that pile of shit movie called deadpool. the scary part of this statement is this guy was being dead serious. right?

can anyone here explain how i can put a member on block/ignore? i'm totally done with this guy. this guy makes me sick!!!! even looking at that avatar of his - it just sucks man.

Lafreniere still has potential to be Panarin imo. Both zeroes in the playoffs.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Kyle Connor/Alexis Lafreniere is one of the strangest comps I've ever seen.

Its bizarre. Makes no sense.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Trading Lafreniere makes sense. Some team will overpay or give fair value. You don’t need everyone on the kid line to hit and one of Othmann, Cuylle, Sykora will be a solid top-6 contributor. They might take a winger in this draft. Maybe they move him on draft day.

Lafreniere had his best season in a contract year but in retrospect it was decent at best and he was inconsistent. He knows he’s not becoming a star here and Kakko may have jumped him. Any smart agent with look at his 5v5 p/60 and realize AL can score 60-65 pts playing 18+ a night and PP1 on a bad team or wannabe. That will get him paid. Only way he gets paid as a middle-six winger here is if Rangers win the Cup. Lafreniere’s cost himself with an unproductive postseason.

He’ll be a good NHL’er and score 30g a season. Just not here. Maybe give him one more year just to play it safe.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Trading Lafreniere makes sense. Some team will overpay or give fair value. You don’t need everyone on the kid line to hit and one of Othmann, Cuylle, Sykora will be a solid top-6 contributor. They might take a winger in this draft. Maybe they move him on draft day.

Lafreniere had his best season in a contract year but in retrospect it was decent at best and he was inconsistent. He knows he’s not becoming a star here and Kakko may have jumped him. Any smart agent with look at his 5v5 p/60 and realize AL can score 60-65 pts playing 18+ a night and PP1 on a bad team or wannabe. That will get him paid. Only way he gets paid as a middle-six winger here is if Rangers win the Cup. Lafreniere’s cost himself with an unproductive postseason.

He’ll be a good NHL’er and score 30g a season. Just not here. Maybe give him one more year just to play it safe.

I see no reason to trade him unless it is a severe overpayment. The only thing worse than Laf not improving more would be seeing him break out with another team after a trade.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

I see no reason to trade him unless it is a severe overpayment. The only thing worse than Laf not improving more would be seeing him break out with another team after a trade.

Tough call. I hope he breaks out. He’s already played for two coaches and soon it’ll be three. If he can’t take a major step forward with a third coach then it really leaves Drury with no choice.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

"The only thing worse than Laf not improving more would be seeing him break out with another team after a trade."

that's something you have to accept if that does indeed happen. jt miller, ulf dahlen, kovalev, etc. without rehashing all the reasons why that is just how the way it is.

there is also likely this scenario: what if this past season of 39 total pts is his pinnacle? his proponents will cite that he's only 21 and that going onward he'll eclipse that with no problem. this is even more feasible should be wind up elsewhere. but if not, then in my eyes gallant actually got the upmost max out of him and maybe shouldn't be be accused of being as one of the main culprits regarding how his career so far has turned out.

if the kid manages somehow to reach 50 pts or higher next season frankly i would be real shocked. i don't mind being proven wrong. kaako proved me wrong by hitting 40 pts this season. i had him targeted at 30 pts max.

 

[Synergy27]

I see no reason to trade him unless it is a severe overpayment. The only thing worse than Laf not improving more would be seeing him break out with another team after a trade.

This is only the case if your evaluation of Laf is in line with @mas0764 et. al. You trade him because you think the probability of him breaking out here (or elsewhere) is low and you try to salvage some return on your investment. If you think the kid is about to take off, you don’t trade him at all.

I wish I knew what the team brass thinks. There is an obvious evaluation divide on this board. It’d be interesting to know if a similar divide exists in the FO, or if there’s a consensus one way or the other.

I personally won’t be shocked at all to see him traded at the draft. I have a weird feeling that Drury isn’t the biggest fan.

 

[CLW]

I see no reason to trade him unless it is a severe overpayment. The only thing worse than Laf not improving more would be seeing him break out with another team after a trade.

Yeah but Laffy and his camp may not agree with this take. It's hard to improve once things have turned sour for real.

 

[mas0764]

Kyle Connor is nothing like Lafreniere, what are you talking about. Connor skates extremely well, has a hard and accurate wrist shot with a really quick release and a good one-timer, and well above average puck handling skills. Where are the similarities between the two players? Sometimes I feel like I am watching a different league than you guys.

He’s not that player right this second but I think he can become that player. Connor scores a lot of dirty goals and I think Lafreniere can replicate that. He’s not a speedy, agile skater like Hughes is.

 

[DanielBrassard]

He’s not that player right this second but I think he can become that player. Connor scores a lot of dirty goals and I think Lafreniere can replicate that. He’s not a speedy, agile skater like Hughes is.

You must be thinking of someone else because Connor is a great skater and a great shooter who scores goals with his shot and speed.

 

[CasusBelli]

Kyle Connor/Alexis Lafreniere is one of the strangest comps I've ever seen.

I guess they can both lace up their own skates? Once they hit the ice … very different.

 

[AirGut]

Lafreniere isn't playing for Canada at the Worlds,
Kakko/Chytil are both playing for their country right now at the worlds

doesn't this tell you something? I've been saying it, not wanting to believe it, but I do now, Lafreniere doesn't give a f*** about his time in New York. To him, this place is just another obstacle in his life. Get this guy the f*** out of here Drury because it's not going to magically change.

 

[CasusBelli]

Lafreniere isn't playing for Canada at the Worlds,
Kakko/Chytil are both playing for their country right now at the worlds

doesn't this tell you something? I've been saying it, not wanting to believe it, but I do now, Lafreniere doesn't give a f*** about his time in New York. To him, this place is just another obstacle in his life. Get this guy the f*** out of here Drury because it's not going to magically change.

Ehhh … Canadian National team is a lot harder to crack than the Finnish or Czech one. Much more competition. But I do agree with your comment on his attitude.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Let's assume MTL is mentally handicapped, which they are.

Would you trade Laf for #5?