Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[duhmetreE]

Imagine telling people 3 years ago Laf would produce less than Yakupov through his first 216 games & that his thread would be full of people posting shirtless men to evaluate how fat & lazy he is.

whats his VO2 max?

 

[DanielBrassard]

Remember when Laf was going to be the next messier? Guess they meant Joby.

 

[UnSandvich]

Was this "information" ever actually vetted? Or is it just made up bullshit that Ed is using because he's upset that his crush is one of the biggest busts in the history of this franchise's drafting?

 

[EdJovanovski]

Was this "information" ever actually vetted? Or is it just made up bullshit that Ed is using because he's upset that his crush is one of the biggest busts in the history of this franchise's drafting?

What "information"? lol, I'm not the one who posted his BF% all I posted was a pic he was tagged in on Instagram where he had moobs & a muffin top

 

[UnSandvich]

What "information"? lol, I'm not the one who posted his BF% all I posted was a pic he was tagged in on Instagram where he had moobs & a muffin top

Fwiw i know you didn't post it, i just don't remember who did. But you've been pushing the shit out of the narrative anyway

As an aside (and this is not a taunt, just something i was curious about): It's kinda sad that Dylan McIlrath, previously regarded as one of the worst NYR draft busts ever, actually only has 6 less career points than Kravtsov.

 

[haohmaru]

As an aside (and this is not a taunt, just something i was curious about): It's kinda sad that Dylan McIlrath, previously regarded as one of the worst NYR draft busts ever, actually only has 6 less career points than Kravtsov.

Wonder which, if either, plays the next NHL game.

 

[UnSandvich]

Wonder which, if either, plays the next NHL game.

My guess would be Kravtsov. McIlrath is pretty buried on the Caps RHD depth chart

 

[NickyFotiu]

I don't think Laf is fat. I do think he can help himself, his skating, and his conditioning by skating 4 hours a day 5 days a week this offseason.

 

[haohmaru]

My guess would be Kravtsov. McIlrath is pretty buried on the Caps RHD depth chart

But he’s a lot closer (AHL) than Kravtsov (KHL).

 

[will1066]

I don't think Laf is fat. I do think he can help himself, his skating, and his conditioning by skating 4 hours a day 5 days a week this offseason.

We all wish this but it'll never happen. You have to obsessed, and he's not.

I think Kessel in his prime was around high teens in BF% and his VO2 max was likely in the 70s.

 

[NickyFotiu]

We all wish this but it'll never happen. You have to obsessed, and he's not.

I think Kessel in his prime was around high teens in BF% and his VO2 max was likely in the 70s.

I keep harping on it because between 10th and 11th grade thats exactly what a buddy and I did all summer. It made a huge difference for us come fall tryouts. The next year I played out of shape and it really hurt my game a lot.

Kessel had out of shape years but also in shape years to go with elite skating and shooting.

 

[LORDE]

It’s a good thing you don’t work for the DOJ. We have no evidence. You’re speculating based on assumptions. The kid is a professional athlete. It’s much more likely that he is busting his ass than that he is floating through his career. I just think we need to stop saying the kid has no drive and doesn’t put in the work. None of us know what he’s doing and as a result it’s impossible to discuss. I hope and expect that he’s putting the work in.

I posted this last week but I know a producer at MSG

Told me Laf was written off early last season because he put no work in... he doesn't listen to vets... he just seems to be 'there' & enjoying it.

Folks can doubt that all they want, but the results on ice DO back up what that person told me and they work in the building (& across the street)

 

[Synergy27]

I posted this last week but I know a producer at MSG

Told me Laf was written off early last season because he put no work in... he doesn't listen to vets... he just seems to be 'there' & enjoying it.

Folks can doubt that all they want, but the results on ice DO back up what that person told me and they work in the building (& across the street)

I don’t even know why this is a controversial take at this point. You can literally see that this is the case (fitness, attitude, etc.).

Laf is a guy who cruised to the 1OA pick playing against a now pretty clear weak set of peers (the 2020 draft ain’t going down as a good one), in a bad league, on talent alone. He is now at a level where talent can’t carry him and he very clearly is not the type that naturally wants to put in the work to be the best. He is talented enough to still be an NHL player, but not talented enough to dominate at the NHL level as currently physically constituted.

He’s going to go down one of two paths:

1. He is content making a NHL salary and will have a long, mediocre career based on average production and the perception of potential inherent in his draft status.

2. He will mature, realize that he needs to work really hard, and become a good, not great player. I have completely given up on the idea that this kid can be a star player. The fire isn’t burning in him to do that. If he decides to work, he’ll do enough to improve a bit but it’s highly unlikely he becomes obsessed and completely dedicated to his game at this point in his life.

The people that are the best at anything are singularly obsessed and willing to sacrifice everything to get to that point. You don’t learn how to do that. It’s either in you or it’s not.

 

[jerseyjinx94]

Lol- this is just such a wild discussion. You guys are living in bananalands.

“The people that are the best at anything are singularly obsessed and willing to sacrifice everything to get to that point”

You’ve never met him, spoken to him, spoken to his family or coaches, spoken to his teammates, spoken to his friends, observed his off ice routine or commitment to the game. You’re basing this on his facial expressions on the bench and lack of results. It’s absurd

‘He … emptied out my gym’: Inside top prospect Alexis Lafrenière’s garage workouts

What's a hot-shot NHL prospect to do when his world is in lockdown? Go hang out in the garage at his parents’ house.

theathletic.com

 

[jerseyjinx94]

I’ve been looking after him 12 months a year since he was 11, 12 years old . . . I know how his body works, how he responds to certain types of exercises,” said Dubé.

When Lafrenière was a Peewee he was a good player, but didn’t really stand out from the pack (“if anyone ever told me they knew when he was a Peewee that kid would play in the NHL, I’d say that guy had either never seen him play back then or is a liar,” Dubé said). He took a huge forward step after his minor Bantam season, which Dubé attributes to a growth spurt and Lafrenière’s disciplined work habits.

“He’s never skipped over any steps . . . he’s just steadily added a lot of power and explosiveness. All the puzzle pieces kind of fell into place during that second Bantam season, but I’d say what really sets him apart is the mental aspect. He’s so strong mentally, he runs on challenges. The harder the task, the bigger the stakes, the more excited he gets,” said Dubé.

Initially, the offseason plan Dubé and Lafrenière came up with was only three weeks long; the thought being the QMJHL season would resume and Lafrenière would need to be ready for a long playoff run. Then the focus lengthened to six weeks. Now the operating assumption is he may not play until NHL rookies report for training camp in September.

And so he’s squatting, lunging, dumbbell curling, crunching, planking and TRXing. Five days on, two days off. The program generally features exercises he’s been doing for years, but Dubé occasionally mixes things up. Eventually he’ll move on to sprint intervals and the like; hopefully by then he won’t be confined to the garage.

“This has meant being a little more creative, I’m not going to lie,” Dubé said. “Probably half of my players have sent me pictures of the stuff they have lying around at home and asking me to design a program around it. I’ve got a big stack of them on my desk.”

Despite the miracles of modern technology, they’re not yet at a stage where he’s supervising Lafrenière by FaceTime video – like most of the hockey world, Lafrenière is an inveterate and incorrigible texter. In any case that’s probably not necessary.

It will come as no surprise that a young man who is driven enough to reach the top spot of the NHL draft (and he is absolutely the consensus pick for first overall) is not averse to putting in the work.

“Knowing him the way I do, working out alone, without his regular group, is tough for him,” Dubé said. “But this is not an athlete I have to work hard to motivate.”

 

[jerseyjinx94]

I posted this last week but I know a producer at MSG

Told me Laf was written off early last season because he put no work in... he doesn't listen to vets... he just seems to be 'there' & enjoying it.

Folks can doubt that all they want, but the results on ice DO back up what that person told me and they work in the building (& across the street)

I don’t know what a producer at msg would know about a players routines, but maybe it’s true. My point is no one knows - I don’t claim to know whether he’s been putting in the work or not, but everyone is acting like this kid doesn’t care. To me, it’s absurd to assume that. It comes off as vitriol towards him because you’re mad that we drafted a 1OA who’s not a star player yet. It’s based on literally nothing

 

[EdJovanovski]

I’ve been looking after him 12 months a year since he was 11, 12 years old . . . I know how his body works, how he responds to certain types of exercises,” said Dubé.

When Lafrenière was a Peewee he was a good player, but didn’t really stand out from the pack (“if anyone ever told me they knew when he was a Peewee that kid would play in the NHL, I’d say that guy had either never seen him play back then or is a liar,” Dubé said). He took a huge forward step after his minor Bantam season, which Dubé attributes to a growth spurt and Lafrenière’s disciplined work habits.

“He’s never skipped over any steps . . . he’s just steadily added a lot of power and explosiveness. All the puzzle pieces kind of fell into place during that second Bantam season, but I’d say what really sets him apart is the mental aspect. He’s so strong mentally, he runs on challenges. The harder the task, the bigger the stakes, the more excited he gets,” said Dubé.

Initially, the offseason plan Dubé and Lafrenière came up with was only three weeks long; the thought being the QMJHL season would resume and Lafrenière would need to be ready for a long playoff run. Then the focus lengthened to six weeks. Now the operating assumption is he may not play until NHL rookies report for training camp in September.

And so he’s squatting, lunging, dumbbell curling, crunching, planking and TRXing. Five days on, two days off. The program generally features exercises he’s been doing for years, but Dubé occasionally mixes things up. Eventually he’ll move on to sprint intervals and the like; hopefully by then he won’t be confined to the garage.

“This has meant being a little more creative, I’m not going to lie,” Dubé said. “Probably half of my players have sent me pictures of the stuff they have lying around at home and asking me to design a program around it. I’ve got a big stack of them on my desk.”

Despite the miracles of modern technology, they’re not yet at a stage where he’s supervising Lafrenière by FaceTime video – like most of the hockey world, Lafrenière is an inveterate and incorrigible texter. In any case that’s probably not necessary.

It will come as no surprise that a young man who is driven enough to reach the top spot of the NHL draft (and he is absolutely the consensus pick for first overall) is not averse to putting in the work.

“Knowing him the way I do, working out alone, without his regular group, is tough for him,” Dubé said. “But this is not an athlete I have to work hard to motivate.”

So he had a growth spurt and finished puberty early and dominated against kids, just as everyone thought

 

[JHS]

It’s a good thing you don’t work for the DOJ. We have no evidence. You’re speculating based on assumptions. The kid is a professional athlete. It’s much more likely that he is busting his ass than that he is floating through his career. I just think we need to stop saying the kid has no drive and doesn’t put in the work. None of us know what he’s doing and as a result it’s impossible to discuss. I hope and expect that he’s putting the work in.

He has had the same deficiency in his game his entire career. If he’s working to improve on his skating and foot speed then he’s not capable of doing better and that’s even more alarming than he’s loafing. At least if we think he’s loafing around then there is still hope that he might improve. Right now, if you believe he’s been working on his deficits because he’s “a professional athlete” then I fail to see how you could be optimistic at all. Again, you better be hoping his current skill set as a player is not his finished product because if it is, he’s not very good.

 

[jerseyjinx94]

I better be hoping? Or we all better be hoping? Why would I need to hope for anything more than any of you. We are all Rangers fans, and I assume we want him to succeed? Seems like most of you are angry with him for some reason, and are coming up with conspiracy theories to justify your dislike for the player

So he had a growth spurt and finished puberty early and dominated against kids, just as everyone thought

That’s what you took from that? His trainer commenting on his work ethic, and his drive to succeed.

 

[huerter]

I posted this last week but I know a producer at MSG

Told me Laf was written off early last season because he put no work in... he doesn't listen to vets... he just seems to be 'there' & enjoying it.

Folks can doubt that all they want, but the results on ice DO back up what that person told me and they work in the building (& across the street)

What do you mean by written off? As has been mentioned many times, he played more ES minutes than Kreider. Was Kreider more written off for less work ethic and more insubordination to the other vets? And I guess that means Gallant was his biggest advocate. Everyone owes him an apology.

And doesn't he live with Lindgren? Talk about an odd couple. The ultimate team guy and the ultimate team pariah.

 

[mas0764]

Lol- this is just such a wild discussion. You guys are living in bananalands.

“The people that are the best at anything are singularly obsessed and willing to sacrifice everything to get to that point”

You’ve never met him, spoken to him, spoken to his family or coaches, spoken to his teammates, spoken to his friends, observed his off ice routine or commitment to the game. You’re basing this on his facial expressions on the bench and lack of results. It’s absurd

‘He … emptied out my gym’: Inside top prospect Alexis Lafrenière’s garage workouts

What's a hot-shot NHL prospect to do when his world is in lockdown? Go hang out in the garage at his parents’ house.

theathletic.com

Yeah there are a ton of people making assumptions because they saw him look goofy or unconcerned for those three seconds the camera caught him that one time. And they are turning it into “I’m so over this guy, can’t stand him.” Because they bury an idea in their head and then run with it to the point of absurdity.

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

I think it's just message board cope - if it's a personality issue, it's not impossible that coach number three will be able to get through to him when coaches one and two couldn't

 

[NickyFotiu]

Many pro athletes are just reaching the pros at 21 so the past doesn't matter to me. I just hope things click fir him in 2023-24.

 

[Synergy27]

I don’t know what a producer at msg would know about a players routines, but maybe it’s true. My point is no one knows - I don’t claim to know whether he’s been putting in the work or not, but everyone is acting like this kid doesn’t care. To me, it’s absurd to assume that. It comes off as vitriol towards him because you’re mad that we drafted a 1OA who’s not a star player yet. It’s based on literally nothing

You say it’s based on literally nothing. I understand this inclination, but I just disagree. You can see with your eyes several concerning attributes.

1. He is just not a physical freak. He looks a bit soft still and I don’t think anyone can deny that he takes short shifts and looks completely gassed at the end of them. Can I say with confidence that he has x% body fat and whatever VO2max? No. But can I say with confidence that he doesn’t clearly demonstrate those attributes at an elite level? I think I can.

2. His attitude is just, blah. He doesn’t come across as a “I am here to be the best player in the world” type of guy. He seems very content to be “one of the guys”.

Is this anecdotal evidence? Yep. Is it “literally nothing”? Nope.

 

[huerter]

What is Fox's attitude/demeanor? Maybe Laf should spend the summer with Mel.