Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[bhamill]

Excuse after excuse after excuse. But you guys are so in love with this guy you can’t see any reality. Hope you see the light at some point.

The truth is this organization is just as ready to move on from this guy as they are to re-signing him.

A lot has already been answered- he’s not a good hockey player, he’s barely made any progress and he looks like he’s content being average.

Not excuses, simply facts counter to what was being said. THIS is what he had, his garage before his rookie year, a full off season going into his second , an a shortened one going into his third. Whether you think it matters or not thats the fact.

 

[bhamill]

My point is for a first overall pick this guys numbers are about the same as a late first round guy or any later round guy. He’s nothing special and honestly shows no skills to lead me to believe he’s going to be special. That’s the point of saying if this guy was drafted in rounds 3-7 people would be thrilled with his production overall. But as a first overall with now 3 seasons behind him he’s putrid and not even close to being dominant.

A typical first overall pick does not get a bridge “prove it” deal if he’s shown anything in his first contract. He’s in this spot because he’s been terrible and the only reason anyone wants to give this guy even more if a chance is because he’s the first overall pick.

Now he may not be terrible for his career but that’s not the point we are discussing. Right now this guy barely has earned any contract renewal from the Rangers and is only getting any interest because of his draft status.

Regardless of your feelings on the whys and wherefores, he’s getting a deal similar to Kakko’s. And to say a 21 year old .5ppg physical player has barely earned amy contract is kind of nutty.

 

[bhamill]

I’d just like to point out that while I feel like I am driving the train that is trying to run Bread out of town, I am critical of Laf but not as nuts as some of y’all are with these proclamations about how he’s never going to improve and deserves a fourth line paycheck.

He’s been a disappointment, I find it hard to project his talent into an elite player, but he’s certainly a middle six winger at worst, should be on the team, and deserves to be paid what Kakko got if not a bit more.

And this a totally reasonable take.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Yes lol. The kid line was our best line last postseason


He has had some bad puck luck and went an incredibly long stretch without a goal. Hes a lock to have a floor 30/30 type of career as a median season production.

Once again not about stats. How did he look in this years playoffs? Did he look fast? Did he look like a threat? How did he handle the puck?
For Laf to become the player we want he has to put in a lot of work this offseason.

 

[bhamill]

Once again not about stats. How did he look in this years playoffs? Did he look fast? Did he look like a threat? How did he handle the puck?
For Laf to become the player we want he has to put in a lot of work this offseason.

The next FEW off seasons at least. It has to become the norm if he wants to reach his potential and maintain that level of play.

As far as the hot takes on Laf’s next contract: there is not a single team in this league that wouldn’t sign him to a 2yrx2mil contract. Period.

 

[NickyFotiu]

The next FEW off seasons at least. It has to become the norm if he wants to reach his potential and maintain that level of play.

As far as the hot takes on Laf’s next contract: there is not a single team in this league that wouldn’t sign him to a 2yrx2mil contract. Period.

He will definitely be signed. He is an asset. An asset that was on the way up a year ago. At best this season was flat for his progress. I agree with you about multiple offseasons. Usually if a guy puts in the work he will be encouraged enough by the results to continue it the next year.

 

[NY Lito]

Just waiting for this guy to work on his skating. It’s only been three years…

And if this is what his skating is, congrats, the first overall pick’s ceiling is a 55 point player.

 

[JHS]

Once again not about stats. How did he look in this years playoffs? Did he look fast? Did he look like a threat? How did he handle the puck?
For Laf to become the player we want he has to put in a lot of work this offseason.

Exactly right- like 100% on the mark with what I've been saying and what anyone who has a clue about the game can notice.

This .5 PPG nonsense is just that because it does not mean that Laf is actually getting points in half the games he plays. He has multiple point games and thus a string of no point games often.

Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers, LW - 2022-23 Game Log - NHL

He had 56 games where he had 0 points including the playoffs where he had a collective 0 points........

He had 6 games all season where he got 4 or more shots on goal for the game....

All the other side can say is he's " an average NHL winger." For the first overall pick with 3 seasons and off seasons to improve- that's pathetic.

 

[bhamill]

He will definitely be signed. He is an asset. An asset that was on the way up a year ago. At best this season was flat for his progress. I agree with you about multiple offseasons. Usually if a guy puts in the work he will be encouraged enough by the results to continue it the next year.

I don't think we disagree. I said he should step it up and keep it up. You said he should step it up and the results will want him to keep it up. We are practically twinsies!

Exactly right- like 100% on the mark with what I've been saying and what anyone who has a clue about the game can notice.

This .5 PPG nonsense is just that because it does not mean that Laf is actually getting points in half the games he plays. He has multiple point games and thus a string of no point games often.

Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers, LW - 2022-23 Game Log - NHL

He had 56 games where he had 0 points including the playoffs where he had a collective 0 points........

All the other side can say is he's " an average NHL winger." For the first overall pick with 3 seasons and off seasons to improve- that's pathetic.

This is another wild take. Of course he wont get points in half his games. And a point a game player will not get a point in every game either. You are moving the goalposts because you don't like the fact that Laf is objectively a 3rd, borderline 2nd, line player at 21.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

He's not displayed the wow factor we hoped for a 1OA
He came to a team deep at LW, with two pretty good ones ahead of him
He came up through covid
He doesn't get a lot of PP time
He's been bounced around the lineup

He never ran with the opportunity he got in the top 6
He hasn't forced this issue to get more PP time and icetime
He hasn't done much to help himself/improve his game
He needs to get serious about his future in this league


All of these are valid. The good new is he's only 21 and not a finished product. Not even close.

 

[bhamill]

He's not displayed the wow factor we hoped for a 1OA
He came to a team deep at LW, with two pretty good ones ahead of him
He came up through covid
He doesn't get a lot of PP time
He's been bounced around the lineup

He never ran with the opportunity he got in the top 6
He hasn't forced this issue to get more PP time and icetime
He hasn't done much to help himself/improve his game
He needs to get serious about his future in this league


All of these are valid. The good new is he's only 21 and not a finished product. Not even close.

Exactly.

 

[JHS]

I don't think we disagree. I said he should step it up and keep it up. You said he should step it up and the results will want him to keep it up. We are practically twinsies!


This is another wild take. Of course he wont get points in half his games. And a point a game player will not get a point in every game either. You are moving the goalposts because you don't like the fact that Laf is objectively a 3rd, borderline 2nd, line player at 21.

Wild take? Not moving goal posts- you are proving my point that a first overall pick is not even a first liner after 3 seasons in the NHL- your own supposed counter points to mine are just making my case even stronger. I notice how you, like many on here, like to take the lawyer approach of semantic arguing rather than disagreeing from a hockey perspective. He's had no noticeable improvement in skill set, virtually no noticeable output improvement, no one can point to a single skill he's improved on and even under the most absurd stretch of defense the best anyone has been able to counter with is he's about as good at 32 other left wingers in the league but not as good as the top 32 left wingers, and that's if we just compare stats.

How about with a contract on the line that guy had the same amount of points in the playoffs as every poster on this thread? How about the guy was brought up to the top 6 multiple times this year and went MIA each time? How about the complete inability to grab hold of a game and make a meaningful contribution more often than not? How about the fact that he has no discernable attribute that anyone can point to that would even give you hope that next year is any different?

 

[JCMac23]

he's definitely not fat/out of shape. he had some issues with conditioning his rookie year yea when he had his junior season ended early and was reduced to working out in a garage until a 1 week training camp because of covid.

he's in good shape now and dropped some weight since his rookie year. regardless, there's tons of nhl players who don't look the pro athlete part. he's a bigger guy just the way he's built. look at phil kessel though. has he maxed his fitness? no. but he's far from slacking. i've said for a long time i'd like to see him lean out a bit. he has done that over the last 2 years to be fair, but he can do more. ideally he fully commits...the temp[ate for him would be mackinnon. he's a bigger guy who realized he needed to lean out a bit and exploded to a whole other level. laf could see similar results doing that.

that said, again, fitness isn't holding him back from being a very productive player. i think gallant did a lot of good things for him, but his usage and vision for him as a player were way off. laf was never a net front guy, his best offensive talents are his vision, deception, and hands. he can help himself by putting himself in the best possible place physically to maximize his pace and quickness, but a new voice has the potential to bring a lot more out of him regardless. it would be insane to give up on this kid, absolutely insane. you don't dominate the world juniors in your draft year by accident, and it wasn't just on the ice. he was the heartbeat of that canadian team. he's had enough time to learn now...all he needs is a little more of a foundation within the system offensively and his confidence will balloon with success. he's not even close to a bust, he's just not a just add water player...we all thought he'd be further along right now. reality is his potential hasn't changed. people who think he's a bust because he hasn't met their expectations at 21 don't have a clue what they're looking at when it comes to hockey evaluation.

In my opinion he looks like a 3 liner/grinder type because that's how he's been told/coached to play, I remember watching his first game as a Ranger and even though he didn't produce that night he definitely showed a lot more flash/creativity than he has the past 2 seasons. He still had that mentality of trying the stuff he did in juniors but that quickly got shut down. Barely ever tries to carry the puck into the zone, always looks to dump and chase, give a big hit. They're trying to mold him into a Ryan Callahan/Kreider net front presence type. I very much agree that the coaches aren't utilizing Laffy's best traits. Whoever the next coach is needs to unlock the kid's creativity. Maybe new skills and player development coaches would help.

 

[bhamill]

Wild take? Not moving goal posts- you are proving my point that a first overall pick is not even a first liner after 3 seasons in the NHL- your own supposed counter points to mine are just making my case even stronger. I notice how you, like many on here, like to take the lawyer approach of semantic arguing rather than disagreeing from a hockey perspective. He's had no noticeable improvement in skill set, virtually no noticeable output improvement, no one can point to a single skill he's improved on and even under the most absurd stretch of defense the best anyone has been able to counter with is he's about as good at 32 other left wingers in the league but not as good as the top 32 left wingers, and that's if we just compare stats.

How about with a contract on the line that guy had the same amount of points in the playoffs as every poster on this thread? How about the guy was brought up to the top 6 multiple times this year and went MIA each time? How about the complete inability to grab hold of a game and make a meaningful contribution more often than not? How about the fact that he has no discernable attribute that anyone can point to that would even give you hope that next year is any different?

I never argued that Lafreniere was a first liner in his D+3 so what are you talking about? You said he is lucky he is getting ANY contract as a .5ppg 21 year old, and I said that's a bit nuts. Then you tried to say somehow his .5ppg doesn't count as .5ppg because he doesn't score in exactly half of his games, or often goes more than a game without a point... another wild take.
This is not semantics on my part, how in blue blazes is that semantical? If anything you are trying to say we shouldn't call him a .5ppg player for a reason that would disqualify 99.99% of .5ppg players from being called that and 99.99% of ppg players from being called ppg players since NO ONE scores every game... I'd say YOUR argument is far more semantics based than anything else I've seen on this thread.
The fact is he's a solid NHLer at 21 and even if he had no chance at improving every team in this league would give him and his .5ppg without powerplay time, and his 141 hits, a 2yr x 2mil contract. THAT is all I am saying here. You're on an island with that "barely deserves ANY contract" hot take.

 

[mas0764]

The anti-Laf takes are wildly incorrect. He doesn't even deserve a contract? Come on.

Almost as bad as my Laf as Kyle Connor comparison.

I still maintain they have similarities and that Laf can be that caliber player.

 

[TheWrongWay]

The whole point is he’s a first overall pick. Not a late first rounder, 3rd rounder or whatever. The best defense you can give this guy is he’s squarely in the second tier of left wings in the sport. Heck of an accomplishment for a first overall pick. You’ve essentially just proven that at best, Laf can be described as average. How is that any different from what I’ve been saying???

Aside from the point that still no one can point out a single thing he’s gotten noticeably better at- what other conclusion can we have than our first overall golden child is essentially a “second tier” winger???

I know when he was picked. Having watched and played hockey since the 70s I know those picks can be all over. Yes, they sometimes end up being all-stars or generational players, but can just as easily be busts. It's luck of the draw in terms of what year a team drafts and what's available from a consensus number one. So being a first overall is not something I look at as any type of guaranteed expected trajectory.

The guy is not generational or great, I'll give anyone that.

But because of the variance in top overall picks, I look outside the 1OA box and have to kind of wonder how you think he's average for his age. I would specifically ask, average compared to what? If you look league-wide, I'd be shocked if there are even 20 players in the league able to play full seasons at age 21 or below.

The very few that can manage that aren't average or the norm, they're outliers.

I also have a tough time judging players on this team due to the team's play structure.

I grew up in NYC and spent 15 years living in Vegas. So I watch both teams. One looks like it has a 5-on-5 structure and tends to play far more in units of 5; the other seems to be more winging these things and is rarely playing as effective 5-man units.

That said, I tend to be a bit surprised when any younger non-veteran players can play even half-decently here.

Do you watch Carolina? Key injuries. But the team has and knows a structured system. Other players step in and the team barely misses a beat. I don't see that structure on the NYR, so it's hard for me to effectively gauge a young kid on the NYR.

Is Laf a world-beater? Thus far, no. No one is saying he is. But I am indifferent to this team/league. It's a business and teams have no real accountability from fans. Especially O6 teams, with fan bases built over generations. TOR and NYR: both franchises with incompetent mgmt, 1 combined Cup in colored TV, yet their values skyrocketed during that time and both teams now worth about 2 billion, and I wouldn't be shocked if the league has minority shares in both teams.

My point is, I don't take this stuff too seriously because the team is a business with little actual accountability. As such, my opinions on the matter are pretty detached.

And my view on this is pretty simple. The NYR probably had no business getting a first overall to begin with. Got one anyway. Took the consensus guy. Sometimes those end up star players, oftentimes they don't. I don't take anything as guaranteed or expected because every draft is unique. But if a pick the NYR probably shouldn't have gotten in the first place ends up, let's for argument's sake say, even a second-line player, who can already play full seasons at only age 21 on a low cap hit, I can't really complain too much.

You want to look at this purely as a 1OA, I get it. And that's understandable. But to me, he's also still a 21-year-old kid. Again, I'd be shocked if there are 20 guys in the entire league at that age or younger who are even good enough to play an entire season at this level. So I'm not quite in agreement with you that this is average or typical. I don't think it is.

 

[JHS]

I never argued that Lafreniere was a first liner in his D+3 so what are you talking about? You said he is lucky he is getting ANY contract as a .5ppg 21 year old, and I said that's a bit nuts. Then you tried to say somehow his .5ppg doesn't count as .5ppg because he doesn't score in exactly half of his games, or often goes more than a game without a point... another wild take.
This is not semantics on my part, how in blue blazes is that semantical? If anything you are trying to say we shouldn't call him a .5ppg player for a reason that would disqualify 99.99% of .5ppg players from being called that and 99.99% of ppg players from being called ppg players since NO ONE scores every game... I'd say YOUR argument is far more semantics based than anything else I've seen on this thread.
The fact is he's a solid NHLer at 21 and even if he had no chance at improving every team in this league would give him and his .5ppg without powerplay time, and his 141 hits, a 2yr x 2mil contract. THAT is all I am saying here. You're on an island with that "barely deserves ANY contract" hot take.

I said he barely deserves a contract because he's a first overall playing like a 3rd liner. Good for him for being a .5 ppg player but if that's what he wants from himself he's in bad shape moving forward.

 

[JHS]

In my opinion he looks like a 3 liner/grinder type because that's how he's been told/coached to play, I remember watching his first game as a Ranger and even though he didn't produce that night he definitely showed a lot more flash/creativity than he has the past 2 seasons. He still had that mentality of trying the stuff he did in juniors but that quickly got shut down. Barely ever tries to carry the puck into the zone, always looks to dump and chase, give a big hit. They're trying to mold him into a Ryan Callahan/Kreider net front presence type. I very much agree that the coaches aren't utilizing Laffy's best traits. Whoever the next coach is needs to unlock the kid's creativity. Maybe new skills and player development coaches would help.

Again this is an illogical conclusion. Gallant let the guys do whatever they wanted- remember how people wanted more restraints on the offensive producers because they made wild cross ice losses, tried to set up the perfect play…etc…

So you want us to believe that this same coach told Laf- “hey don’t play creatively and just dump and chase???” Come on here guys- can we at least try and be consistent in the argueemnts we make.

Laf plays like a 3rd line grinder because he’s incapable of anything more right now and at best he looks mildly effective in the cycle, down low behind the goaline stuff Kappo and Chytil helped generate.

 

[JHS]

I know when he was picked. Having watched and played hockey since the 70s I know those picks can be all over. Yes, they sometimes end up being all-stars or generational players, but can just as easily be busts. It's luck of the draw in terms of what year a team drafts and what's available from a consensus number one. So being a first overall is not something I look at as any type of guaranteed expected trajectory.

The guy is not generational or great, I'll give anyone that.

But because of the variance in top overall picks, I look outside the 1OA box and have to kind of wonder how you think he's average for his age. I would specifically ask, average compared to what? If you look league-wide, I'd be shocked if there are even 20 players in the league able to play full seasons at age 21 or below.

The very few that can manage that aren't average or the norm, they're outliers.

I also have a tough time judging players on this team due to the team's play structure.

I grew up in NYC and spent 15 years living in Vegas. So I watch both teams. One looks like it has a 5-on-5 structure and tends to play far more in units of 5; the other seems to be more winging these things and is rarely playing as effective 5-man units.

That said, I tend to be a bit surprised when any younger non-veteran players can play even half-decently here.

Do you watch Carolina? Key injuries. But the team has and knows a structured system. Other players step in and the team barely misses a beat. I don't see that structure on the NYR, so it's hard for me to effectively gauge a young kid on the NYR.

Is Laf a world-beater? Thus far, no. No one is saying he is. But I am indifferent to this team/league. It's a business and teams have no real accountability from fans. Especially O6 teams, with fan bases built over generations. TOR and NYR: both franchises with incompetent mgmt, 1 combined Cup in colored TV, yet their values skyrocketed during that time and both teams now worth about 2 billion, and I wouldn't be shocked if the league has minority shares in both teams.

My point is, I don't take this stuff too seriously because the team is a business with little actual accountability. As such, my opinions on the matter are pretty detached.

And my view on this is pretty simple. The NYR probably had no business getting a first overall to begin with. Got one anyway. Took the consensus guy. Sometimes those end up star players, oftentimes they don't. I don't take anything as guaranteed or expected because every draft is unique. But if a pick the NYR probably shouldn't have gotten in the first place ends up, let's for argument's sake say, even a second-line player, who can already play full seasons at only age 21 on a low cap hit, I can't really complain too much.

You want to look at this purely as a 1OA, I get it. And that's understandable. But to me, he's also still a 21-year-old kid. Again, I'd be shocked if there are 20 guys in the entire league at that age or younger who are even good enough to play an entire season at this level. So I'm not quite in agreement with you that this is average or typical. I don't think it is.

This makes sense to me. My only issue here is there is a group of posters on here that want to crown this guy, give him the world, blame the organization, blame COVID, blame whatever else other than Laf and then have the balls to say “well the Rangers should just pay him.” I’m not of the mind that this guy has even earned any bridge deal but I’m positive this inept organization will almost certainly give him one.

My other issue is, no one has yet to be able to identify one trait/attribute/skill he’s improved in or I’ll even go as far as to say, just tell me one skill/trait/attribute he’s even better than or equal to Kappo? It’s honestly hard to think of any— and that’s really a terrible spot to be in as a first overall with 3 seasons to show something— and it’s not like Kappo is any good either.

 

[mas0764]

Who exactly on here is trying to "crown" Lafreniere? I think literally everyone would admit he's a disappointment.

But there is no reason to get antsy because people want to "blame the organization." The organization deserves blame. You should acknowledge that it's largely the org's fault, if not the MAJORITY of the org's fault.

They've f***ed up Kakko, Lafreniere, Kravtsov and Andersson.

I can buy they missed on one. Maybe two. They didn't go 0-for-4 in top 10 prospect evaluations. They didn't take the wrong player four times in a row.

They have a hand - a large one - in messing these four players up.

The reason you don't see "one skill/trait/attribute" that Lafreniere is any good at is the same reason you don't see one skill/trait/attribute that Kakko, Kravtsov, or Andersson were any good at. All four of these players have looked like COMPLETE HACKS, with the exception of Kakko who through sheer force of will has rounded himself into a functional middle six contributor because he's a physical beast.

Really? Not one of these highly talented top 10 selections - including UNDISPUTED first and second overall selection who were touted as far better than the average first and second overall selections - show skill in any area at all? Sure, maybe we missed on their offensive upside, but they all look like crap in all areas?

ITS THE TEAM.

They are so far into these kids' heads that they are all completely lost and don't know how to play. There's no support. There's no structure. These kids all came into the league needing guidance for how to grow their games to the NHL speed, systems, and competition level, and none of them got it.

There isn't another rational explanation. No, Andersson, Krav, Kakko, and Laf were not four all time busts in a row. The org has messed them up.

 

[JHS]

Ok so maybe the Rangers should show Laf the following- maybe that will motivate him to do something this off season.

I went back to Taylor Hall’s draft year and tracked their second contracts. These are all the first overall picks only- if this does not tell you everything you need to know about how bad he’s been as a first overall and how much money he’s left in the table I’m not sure what is!!!


Taylor Hall- resigned with Oilers at 7 years 42 million( 6 mil a year)
Ryan Nugent- Hopkins-signed a 7 year 42 mill( 6 mil a year)
Nail Yakupov— signed a 2 year 5 mil( 2.5 a year)
Nathan Mackinnon- 7 year 44.1 million( 6.3 million)
Aaron Ekblad— 8 year 60 million( 7.5 million a season)
Conor McDavid- 8 year 100 million( 12.5 million a season)
Austen Matthews- 5 year 58 million( 11.6 million a season)
Nico Hischier- 7 year 50.5 million(7.2 million a season)
Rasmus Dahlin- 3 year 18 million( 6 million a season)
Jack Hughes- 8 year 64 million( 6 million a season.
Alex Lafreinere- maybe 2 years 4 million total( 2 million a season)

 

[2014nyr]

In my opinion he looks like a 3 liner/grinder type because that's how he's been told/coached to play, I remember watching his first game as a Ranger and even though he didn't produce that night he definitely showed a lot more flash/creativity than he has the past 2 seasons. He still had that mentality of trying the stuff he did in juniors but that quickly got shut down. Barely ever tries to carry the puck into the zone, always looks to dump and chase, give a big hit. They're trying to mold him into a Ryan Callahan/Kreider net front presence type. I very much agree that the coaches aren't utilizing Laffy's best traits. Whoever the next coach is needs to unlock the kid's creativity. Maybe new skills and player development coaches would help.

i don't remember his first game but i thought that whole first year he just looked entirely overwhelmed by the pace of the game - which was entirely understandable when you consider the circumstances he was dealing with leading to his rookie season. to me that rookie year he was looking to move the puck the second he got it, something that he struggled with when he was elevated in the lineup through this year. i agree i think gallants vision for him was more a down low possession guy - i think in gallants mind it maybe tracked more towards the kevin stevens/neely type but without the production looked more forechecking grinder. i think in the long run some of the things he grew in there will help him, but i agree his best game is much more creative playmaker resembling huberdeau. in that light i think the more physical elements he was pushed into under gallant will serve him well if we get a coach who puts him in positions too and wants him to lean on the things that come more naturally to him. i will say i don't think gallant suppressed his creativity so much as the way we played didn't play into it - and from there i think it got in his head a bit where he wasn't as confident. but we've seen more and more flashes...creative little dangles in tight spaces, a few highlight reel goals walking dmen, nice rushes on resets coming through the neutral zone going inside outside on guys and using headfakes etc...but too frequently breakouts on his lines haven't been coordinated where guys came up ice together, and when they did, the spacing and drives almost never did anything to stress the other team's defensive structure and create a scoring chance. and yea by far the dumbest thing gallant did with him was put him net front on the pp...while he does have sick hand eye and can deflect pucks, what got him taken 1st overall was his work up high on the left side of the ice on the pp. i think that might be a better spot for him.

lastly...i think he should get a look at c. the skating stuff is very overblown. he's not explosive from the jump and he needs to work on that. but his edgework and pace are more than adequate. he's a very solid defensive player in awareness and puck battles, he'll tie guys up and play down low, he takes a bunch of chytil's faceoffs already. got high hockey iq, good puck carrier when he's moving, fantastic at receiving tough passes...i'd take a look playing 2c and creating a true shutdown line around troch.

 

[TheWrongWay]

This makes sense to me. My only issue here is there is a group of posters on here that want to crown this guy, give him the world, blame the organization, blame COVID, blame whatever else other than Laf and then have the balls to say “well the Rangers should just pay him.” I’m not of the mind that this guy has even earned any bridge deal but I’m positive this inept organization will almost certainly give him one.

My other issue is, no one has yet to be able to identify one trait/attribute/skill he’s improved in or I’ll even go as far as to say, just tell me one skill/trait/attribute he’s even better than or equal to Kappo? It’s honestly hard to think of any— and that’s really a terrible spot to be in as a first overall with 3 seasons to show something— and it’s not like Kappo is any good either.

Fair enough, but I don't see anyone crowning him f*** all, just diverging opinions. We all see things thru our own lens. So I can respect your opinion on this, as well as other viewpoints.

A first overall is, after all, an unknown universe for most NYR fans.

Like I was born in ‘67 and don’t recall seeing one in my lifetime. So I grasp this pick being under a microscope. I also have memories of season after season of mediocre NYR teams with no picks till like rounds 5, 7, or 9 hardwired into my tiny brain.

So my expectations for NYR drafting are really low.

This team can snag late world-class goalies and butcher top-10 forward picks like no other. So, I was just happy/semi-shocked they didn’t trade the pick and actually selected the consensus best player at that time. That’s just not the NYR way lol

 

[JCMac23]

I certainly get that some posters feel really disappointed with how he has turned out so far because trust when I say I have felt the same way. He's been our highest pick in so long and has had the highest chance of becoming our first homegrown franchise player since Henrik(maybe Igor?). At the same time I don't understand how some posters in here can come to the conclusion that this kid is a finished product at 21-22 years old. He hasn't lit the world on fire but he's improved in a lot categories since his rookie season. I can't remember how many grade A chances provided by Laffy that were badly missed, not just this season, also going back to last. That alone would have increased his point totals for the people obsessed with his offensive production. I don't think it's a coincidence that all of our young guys have struggled majorly over the past couple of seasons and IMO that's on the guys in charge of development. My main point is Lafreniere is not a finished product, he still has a lot of room to grow. I do hope that he takes his off season training seriously and takes all the criticism he's received into mind and channel that into a positive mental and physical growth goin into next season. Also pray that whoever ends up coaching this team realizes that he needs to actually develop and support our younger players in order to be successful in regular season and playoffs.

 

[duhmetreE]

i don't remember his first game but i thought that whole first year he just looked entirely overwhelmed by the pace of the game - which was entirely understandable when you consider the circumstances he was dealing with leading to his rookie season. to me that rookie year he was looking to move the puck the second he got it, something that he struggled with when he was elevated in the lineup through this year. i agree i think gallants vision for him was more a down low possession guy - i think in gallants mind it maybe tracked more towards the kevin stevens/neely type but without the production looked more forechecking grinder. i think in the long run some of the things he grew in there will help him, but i agree his best game is much more creative playmaker resembling huberdeau. in that light i think the more physical elements he was pushed into under gallant will serve him well if we get a coach who puts him in positions too and wants him to lean on the things that come more naturally to him. i will say i don't think gallant suppressed his creativity so much as the way we played didn't play into it - and from there i think it got in his head a bit where he wasn't as confident. but we've seen more and more flashes...creative little dangles in tight spaces, a few highlight reel goals walking dmen, nice rushes on resets coming through the neutral zone going inside outside on guys and using headfakes etc...but too frequently breakouts on his lines haven't been coordinated where guys came up ice together, and when they did, the spacing and drives almost never did anything to stress the other team's defensive structure and create a scoring chance. and yea by far the dumbest thing gallant did with him was put him net front on the pp...while he does have sick hand eye and can deflect pucks, what got him taken 1st overall was his work up high on the left side of the ice on the pp. i think that might be a better spot for him.

lastly...i think he should get a look at c. the skating stuff is very overblown. he's not explosive from the jump and he needs to work on that. but his edgework and pace are more than adequate. he's a very solid defensive player in awareness and puck battles, he'll tie guys up and play down low, he takes a bunch of chytil's faceoffs already. got high hockey iq, good puck carrier when he's moving, fantastic at receiving tough passes...i'd take a look playing 2c and creating a true shutdown line around troch.

This is the most infuriating aspect to watching this offense. No one created space and passing/shooting lanes.