Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

Not 1 GM in the league would have taken him over Laf. Not 1.

actually you don't know that. there are 32 gm's in the league. so you would be absolutely positively no doubt about it that all 32 GM's would have picked him as a no brainer? there had to be at least one or two that may have some doubts, at least privately.

 

[bhamill]

if you don't want to be driven to committing to soduku, seppuku, or anything else that will drive you real cuckoo doo doo then you might not want to watch what's below:



this kid right now is one my favorite players to watch. what could have been watching him hook up with zibs. bread, kreider and fox and some sprinkles of chytil and kaako. the driver we sorely need that can go through both blue lines. kid kills penalties too. an nhl point guard at an all star level.

but nah some have to reach and defend our guy. the guy that dekes larkin. a season later dekes sandin. i think i'll buy a book of soduku puzzles right now while i wipe away the tears.

Oddly enough, a rational human can actually like BOTH Stutzle AND Lafreniere. It’s not like Stutzle playing well means Laf can’t, or vice versa, as if we are in some weird “everything has to be zero sum” universe. It actually looks like these two will end up being the best two forwards drafted in the First round of 2020. Very different types of players, and Stutzle certainly has the inside track to be the best when all is said and done, but Laf will likely have a terrific career as well.
No soduku necessary.

actually you don't know that. there are 32 gm's in the league. so you would be absolutely positively no doubt about it that all 32 GM's would have picked him as a no brainer? there had to be at least one or two that may have some doubts, at least privately.

Laf was the overwhelming consensus number one pick. To try to say differently is revisionist.

 

[Rongomania]

actually you don't know that. there are 32 gm's in the league. so you would be absolutely positively no doubt about it that all 32 GM's would have picked him as a no brainer? there had to be at least one or two that may have some doubts, at least privately.

Consensus number one overall pick, braj.

 

[3rd Guy High]

Behold, in all its glory, the Rangers' top 10 picks since 1990.

1993 - Niklas Sundstrom (8)
1998 - Manny Malholtra (7)
1999 - Pavel Brendl (4)
1999 - Jamie Lundmark (9)
2001 - Dan Blackburn (10)
2004 - Al Montoya (6)
2010 - Dylan McIlrath (10)
2017 - Lias Andersson (7)
2018 - Vitali Kravtsov (9)
2019 - Kaapo Kakko (2)
2020 - Alexis Lafreniere (1)

Something something about said players not earning their ice time….

 

[JHS]

When is Laf gonna sign his 2.5 mill 1 year bridge deal as a first overall pick??? He’s wasting his time thinking the Rangers are gonna cave on him and give him a monster deal.

 

[bhamill]

When is Laf gonna sign his 2.5 mill 1 year bridge deal as a first overall pick??? He’s wasting his time thinking the Rangers are gonna cave on him and give him a monster deal.

I would imagine it’s his agent negotiating and as soon as it’s put in front of him he will sign, and NO one can possibly believe that we have the cap to give him a monster deal, undeserved or not. Hahahah.

 

[mas0764]

Nah, if history has proven anything it's that Kravtsov and Andersson aren't NHL players and that those picks just weren't the right ones. Andersson has been with LA and now MTL as long as he was with the Rangers and he's actually played less games. Kravtsov had an "out" and has used it three times instead of redoubling his efforts to become an NHL player.

They were bad choices, in hindsight. Tough to make the call in the moment. I really didn't have a problem with the Andersson pick at the time because I thought, at worst, he's an everyday 3rd line center in the NHL (and said so at the time). That never materialized. I never liked the Kravtsov pick. Laf and Kakko were picks that every team in the NHL would've made.

Lafreniere and Kakko still have time. The question is if the Rangers will be patient enough and have enough common sense to let them develop.

I suspect that, along with most selections, it's a combination of whether the pick was the right pick in addition to the team's development.

 

[Trxjw]

There were a number of scouts who thought Stutzle or even Byfield might have more long-term upside than Lafreniere but you would've been hard pressed to find one who felt confident enough in that to take them first overall.

Laf was widely considered to be about as sure of a thing as you'll find at the top of a draft class. You can be unhappy with his lack of development thus far but acting as if there was another selection to be made there is nothing but hindsight.

The Rangers decided to take the path of developing two can't miss, blue chip prospects as 3rd line players. It shouldn't be any surprise that they've ended up exactly as that.

 

[Fitzy]

Behold, in all its glory, the Rangers' top 10 picks since 1990.

1993 - Niklas Sundstrom (8)
1998 - Manny Malholtra (7)
1999 - Pavel Brendl (4)
1999 - Jamie Lundmark (9)
2001 - Dan Blackburn (10)
2004 - Al Montoya (6)
2010 - Dylan McIlrath (10)
2017 - Lias Andersson (7)
2018 - Vitali Kravtsov (9)
2019 - Kaapo Kakko (2)
2020 - Alexis Lafreniere (1)

It occurs to me that 2-way 2nd line forward Kakko may surpass Sundstrom for the best NHL player on this list.

2nd liner
3rd liner
Bust
Bust
Injury
Backup
Bust
Bust
Bust
2nd liner
??

 

[mas0764]

There were a number of scouts who thought Stutzle or even Byfield might have more long-term upside than Lafreniere but you would've been hard pressed to find one who felt confident enough in that to take them first overall.

Laf was widely considered to be about as sure of a thing as you'll find at the top of a draft class. You can be unhappy with his lack of development thus far but acting as if there was another selection to be made there is nothing but hindsight.

The Rangers decided to take the path of developing two can't miss, blue chip prospects as 3rd line players. It shouldn't be any surprise that they've ended up exactly as that.

Preach it. The way the team has handled them is absolutely part of the reason why they are 40 point players so far.

I can only hope and pray that if the team starts treating them like first liners, they still have 80 point upside.

No lie I'd simply staple Laf and Kakko to Zibanejad.

Lafreniere Zibanejad Kakko
Panarin Chytil Othmann/Cuylle
Kreider Trocheck Wheeler
Goodrow Bonino Vesey

Bring in Kane or Tarasenko or another player for a middle 6 RW role down the line after the kids had their cup of tea early.

 

[hackeyman]

Preach it. The way the team has handled them is absolutely part of the reason why they are 40 point players so far.

I can only hope and pray that if the team starts treating them like first liners, they still have 80 point upside.

No lie I'd simply staple Laf and Kakko to Zibanejad.

Lafreniere Zibanejad Kakko
Panarin Chytil Othmann/Cuylle
Kreider Trocheck Wheeler
Goodrow Bonino Vesey

Bring in Kane or Tarasenko or another player for a middle 6 RW role down the line after the kids had their cup of tea early.

OMG, you've been trying to get a 52 goal scorer on the third line for over a year now.

 

[Synergy27]

Hey. Does this fat bastard have any idea how many cheeseburgers he can buy with $2.5M? Sign the contract you meaty prick.

 

[bhamill]

Hey. Does this fat bastard have any idea how many cheeseburgers he can buy with $2.5M? Sun the contract you meaty prick.

holy christ that made me laugh.

 

[mas0764]

OMG, you've been trying to get a 52 goal scorer on the third line for over a year now.

You mean a 36 goal scorer?

And yeah good teams have scoring depth across all their top 9, stop line numbering. If he'd stop being a baby he could suck it up and be Panarin's RW.

 

[Synergy27]

holy christ that made me laugh.

I’m going to continue to lean into the “Laf is a fat f***” meme until:

1. He posts something on social media showing us how shredded he’s become.

2. He hunts me down and beats my ass.

 

[haohmaru]

OMG, you've been trying to get a 52 goal scorer on the third line for over a year now.

And Othmann / Cuylle on line 2? Talk about possibly destroying prospects…. Yikes.

 

[RangerBlues]

I refuse the notion that Laf loves cheeseburgers over hockey.

 

[Crease]

I refuse the notion that Laf loves cheeseburgers over hockey.

It’s really the poutine you have to worry about with him.

 

[Profet]

It occurs to me that 2-way 2nd line forward Kakko may surpass Sundstrom for the best NHL player on this list.

2nd liner
3rd liner
Bust
Bust
Injury
Backup
Bust
Bust
Bust
2nd liner
??

I'd argue Malhotra is the best player on this list.

Sundstrom had the benefit of playing with Gretzky.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

There were a number of scouts who thought Stutzle or even Byfield might have more long-term upside than Lafreniere but you would've been hard pressed to find one who felt confident enough in that to take them first overall.

Laf was widely considered to be about as sure of a thing as you'll find at the top of a draft class. You can be unhappy with his lack of development thus far but acting as if there was another selection to be made there is nothing but hindsight.

The Rangers decided to take the path of developing two can't miss, blue chip prospects as 3rd line players. It shouldn't be any surprise that they've ended up exactly as that.

Facts

 

[EdJovanovski]

Maybe hockey could get some time in the spotlight if Sports Illustrated put a shirtless Lafreniere on the cover, it could be one of those “body positive” issues

 

[IDvsEGO]

There were a number of scouts who thought Stutzle or even Byfield might have more long-term upside than Lafreniere but you would've been hard pressed to find one who felt confident enough in that to take them first overall.

Laf was widely considered to be about as sure of a thing as you'll find at the top of a draft class. You can be unhappy with his lack of development thus far but acting as if there was another selection to be made there is nothing but hindsight.

The Rangers decided to take the path of developing two can't miss, blue chip prospects as 3rd line players. It shouldn't be any surprise that they've ended up exactly as that.

I’d argue with Laf that they didn’t try and develop him as a 3rd liner, but they ended up drafting a left wing, where they had just signed 2 contracts worth over 100m on 2 left wingers.
And both coaches who have coached him were terrible at player development, and focused far more on winning than his or Kakko’s development.
If Laf had been a center or right wing, I think he’d have been fine.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

actually you don't know that. there are 32 gm's in the league. so you would be absolutely positively no doubt about it that all 32 GM's would have picked him as a no brainer? there had to be at least one or two that may have some doubts, at least privately.

Am I absolutely positive? Yes. He was the unanimous 1OA. Nobody would have picked anyone else. They would have been roasted.

 

[duhmetreE]

Behold, in all its glory, the Rangers' top 10 picks since 1990.

1993 - Niklas Sundstrom (8)
1998 - Manny Malholtra (7)
1999 - Pavel Brendl (4)
1999 - Jamie Lundmark (9)
2001 - Dan Blackburn (10)
2004 - Al Montoya (6)
2010 - Dylan McIlrath (10)
2017 - Lias Andersson (7)
2018 - Vitali Kravtsov (9)
2019 - Kaapo Kakko (2)
2020 - Alexis Lafreniere (1)

what a depressing list.

at least Neil Smith won a cup. Sather first top picks.... 2 goalies and a big potato at defense

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

RIP but, given the Rangers’ poor track record of forward development, Cherepanov does not get the benefit of the doubt from me.

This. RIP to Cherepanov for sure, but I highly doubt he would have gotten the chance to succeed.

Most likely he would've been accused of being soft, Russian, and inconsistent, and run out of town. We would've needed "MOAR GRIT" (TM) up front, according to many.

• If the kid was made of mental steel, he'd have become a star somewhere else.
• If he wasn't, he probably would have grown tired of his career stalemating, gone back to the KHL, and had a nice international career.

This team's track record of gifting ice time to talented young offensive players and letting them figure it out is abysmal.