Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[Slaydagnar]

He never wins a board battle ever. Like clockwork the other team comes away with the puck.
I’ve been a Ranger fan since I was 7 ..55 years I have never despised a Ranger player like I do Laf. He is trash..

 

[TGWL]

He never wins a board battle ever. Like clockwork the other team comes away with the puck.
I’ve been a Ranger fan since I was 7 ..55 years I have never despised a Ranger player like I do Laf. He is trash..

You shouldn't single out Lafreniere. You should say "I have never despised a Rangers roster like I do with this one"

 

[Drew4u]

He's second in even strength points by far. Why tf is he not getting played on the pp. He's the second best forward on the team.

I hope they trade him just so he can score 100+ points on another team just like Reinhart. When you draft a guy 1st overall pick and give him 7+ mill play him ON THE PP. It's not that hard.

 

[bhamill]

He's second in even strength points by far. Why tf is he not getting played on the pp. He's the second best forward on the team.

I hope they trade him just so he can score 100+ points on another team just like Reinhart. When you draft a guy 1st overall pick and give him 7+ mill play him ON THE PP. It's not that hard.

The NYR lone goal last game came on Laf going to the net, and then JT going to the net to follow up. But "he never goes to the net," "never goes to the middle," "never goes to the dirty areas" (while also saying he loses every battle in the dirty areas that he doesn't go to...)
This fan base is nuts. Hahaha. Hey everyone wants more out of Laf, but scapegoating him for THIS team is just INSANE to me...

 

[Harbour Dog]

The NYR lone goal last game came on Laf going to the net, and then JT going to the net to follow up. But "he never goes to the net," "never goes to the middle," "never goes to the dirty areas" (while also saying he loses every battle in the dirty areas that he doesn't go to...)
This fan base is nuts. Hahaha. Hey everyone wants more out of Laf, but scapegoating him for THIS team is just INSANE to me...

It's ludicrous. We have a roster full of soft, floating vets who get priority treatment, but this is the thread that manages to stay at the top of list.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

The NYR lone goal last game came on Laf going to the net, and then JT going to the net to follow up. But "he never goes to the net," "never goes to the middle," "never goes to the dirty areas" (while also saying he loses every battle in the dirty areas that he doesn't go to...)
This fan base is nuts. Hahaha. Hey everyone wants more out of Laf, but scapegoating him for THIS team is just INSANE to me...

Meanwhile Kreider and Zibanejad absolutely stink the shit of the joint on PP1 again.

Water is also wet.

Last night's Sirens game made it REAL easy to pass out during the 2nd intemission of the Ranger game. Woke up in time to see the third LA goal, turned it off. Story of this season, even if neither one of those teams are going to the playoffs.

Sarah Fillier has now outscored every first round Rangers draft pick since Brady Skjei in her rookie season, in a PWHL season that's just over 1/3 the length of an NHL season, and every forward since Kreider. Before Kreider, you have to go back to Alexei Kovalev to find a Rangers forward who scored more than Fillier's 27 points in a qualifying rookie season. Before Kovalev, it's Ulf Dahlen, Lucien DeBlois, Don Murdoch, Wayne Dillon, Rick Middleton, Bob MacMillon, and Steve Vickers (in the modern draft format).

Fillier has played 26 games.

Aside from proving the Rangers were better at giving quality ice time to high drafted prospects in the mid to late 70s, this just proves this franchise stands alone at futility in drafting and developing top flight forward talent.

 

[TGWL]

He's second in even strength points by far. Why tf is he not getting played on the pp. He's the second best forward on the team.

I hope they trade him just so he can score 100+ points on another team just like Reinhart. When you draft a guy 1st overall pick and give him 7+ mill play him ON THE PP. It's not that hard.

He's second in even strength(5 on 5)points, but not second in 5 on 5 points /60, and about 1-2 points better than Cuylle /60. Jonny has a higher p/60 and played in enough games where it's not really a sample size. JT Miller has a higher p/60.

Laf p/60 is exactly the same as Kakko's before the trade. Since Jan 1st, he's 7th with 5on5 p/60, but that's including Edstrom (15 games) and Chytil (12 games)

This entire team is struggling for offense. Laf on the powerplay didn't improve it. They're struggling everywhere. The coaching staff needs a cleanout. The players who don't want to be here or put effort in need to leave.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Kovalev is the perfect parallel for Laf. Everytime you think "Ok he's finally putting it together" they end up regressing right back to their rookie season. The biggest difference is that Kovalev was arguably their 2nd best forward in the 1994 playoffs and was clutch as hell in their Cup run. Messier doesn't pull off his magic against the Devils in Game 6 with Kovalev's goal and 2 assists. Also, Kovy was always a playoff performer with the Rangers. Come playoff time, we saw the Kovalev we wanted to see in the regular season. It was like the inverse Artemi Panarin experience.

Kovy won a cup and was an integral part of it. For that, he gets a much bigger pass.

Kovalev was never on the top line as a Ranger, nor the top PP unit, except for late in his first stint when the team was so bad they stuck him on the right point as a defenseman for his shot, which in spite of the offensive futility of the 97-98 season, allowed him to finish with totals in line with his average Rangers season despite the team being a complete dumpster aside from Gretzky and the last gasp of Pat LaFontaine's career before the last concussion.

Who could forget such luminaries on the wing as late career Kevin Stevens, Tim Sweeney, Mike Keane, Bill Berg, and Johan Lindbom?

The second time Kovalev was brought back, he scored 10 goals in 24 games (not terrible), but the rest of the team was a disaster so he only had 3 assists. The 2003-04 team was horrific, hoping that Messier at 43 and...Bobby Holik...could somehow carry the offense in the wake of Pavel Bure's knee injury, another Lindros concussion, reuniting the Czechmates without Radek Dvorak, and sprinkling in a bunch of spare parts.

Ironically, as bad as those 2002-03 and 2003-04 teams were... the one guy they could never find ice time for was Jaime Lundmark. Yeah, yeah, he was a bust and all, but somehow the team considered it a valid development strategy to throw him on lines with guys like Dan LaCouture and Jed Ortmeyer for 10 minutes a night.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Kovy won a cup and was an integral part of it. For that, he gets a much bigger pass.

I agree, but if the Pittsburgh Penguins had drafted Kovalev and used him the way they used him in the early 00's from the beginning, there's a good chance he's in the Hall of Fame with Mark Recchi like numbers, and all of us are still sitting here cursing out the people still chanting "1940."

 

[ArPanet]

Laf is just saving himself for when he's traded for Filip Forsberg.

 

[LionsHeart]

Out of everyone he probably disappointed me the most.

 

[TheTakedown]

He's second in even strength points by far. Why tf is he not getting played on the pp. He's the second best forward on the team.

I hope they trade him just so he can score 100+ points on another team just like Reinhart. When you draft a guy 1st overall pick and give him 7+ mill play him ON THE PP. It's not that hard.

must have god-mika and prophet-kreider on that top unit because #vetpresence

f*** this stupid f***ing coaching staff

 

[RangersFan1994]

It's ludicrous. We have a roster full of soft, floating vets who get priority treatment, but this is the thread that manages to stay at the top of list.

And the youth is learning from this and when they get paid they do the same, Laf is this year. Watch Cuylle gets paid, stop hitting and get fancy and start to think and act like he is Pavel Bure.

 

[Guyute]

Interesting that Laf is scoring 2.0 p/60 ay 5v5 which is the same exact rate as last year. He's also third on the team in 5v5 p/60 beghind Panarin and Brodzinski.

 

[TheWrongWay]

Kovalev was never on the top line as a Ranger, nor the top PP unit, except for late in his first stint when the team was so bad they stuck him on the right point as a defenseman for his shot, which in spite of the offensive futility of the 97-98 season, allowed him to finish with totals in line with his average Rangers season despite the team being a complete dumpster aside from Gretzky and the last gasp of Pat LaFontaine's career before the last concussion.

Who could forget such luminaries on the wing as late career Kevin Stevens, Tim Sweeney, Mike Keane, Bill Berg, and Johan Lindbom?

The second time Kovalev was brought back, he scored 10 goals in 24 games (not terrible), but the rest of the team was a disaster so he only had 3 assists. The 2003-04 team was horrific, hoping that Messier at 43 and...Bobby Holik...could somehow carry the offense in the wake of Pavel Bure's knee injury, another Lindros concussion, reuniting the Czechmates without Radek Dvorak, and sprinkling in a bunch of spare parts.

Ironically, as bad as those 2002-03 and 2003-04 teams were... the one guy they could never find ice time for was Jaime Lundmark. Yeah, yeah, he was a bust and all, but somehow the team considered it a valid development strategy to throw him on lines with guys like Dan LaCouture and Jed Ortmeyer for 10 minutes a night.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

You're like the harbinger of rekindling horrible hockey memories I had done so well to suppress

 

[Grifter3511]

It's ludicrous. We have a roster full of soft, floating vets who get priority treatment, but this is the thread that manages to stay at the top of list.

Apparently because he was drafted first overall as a teenager he's expected to grab control of this team and make it his team and lead by example, despite coming in as a teenager surrounded by guys making 8-12 mil and putting up 80-120 points. Instead of, you know, learning from and leaning on the established veterans around him.

I mean, if from day one we had deployed him that way (you're getting 1st line minutes 1st line linemates and pp1 time) as happens with most 1OAs, despite the veterans around him, it would be a different story. But we saddled him to the third line, told him he wasn't as good as the vets and needs to play 12 minutes a game learning from those players before he can be trusted to lead.

Well, he definitely learned from them.

 

[Hire Sather]

Laf is the worst of the bunch. Gets his contract and stops playing

I got more of a problem with him than any player on the team. f*** him

 

[SA16]

Apparently because he was drafted first overall as a teenager he's expected to grab control of this team and make it his team and lead by example, despite coming in as a teenager surrounded by guys making 8-12 mil and putting up 80-120 points. Instead of, you know, learning from and leaning on the established veterans around him.

I mean, if from day one we had deployed him that way (you're getting 1st line minutes 1st line linemates and pp1 time) as happens with most 1OAs, despite the veterans around him, it would be a different story. But we saddled him to the third line, told him he wasn't as good as the vets and needs to play 12 minutes a game learning from those players before he can be trusted to lead.

Well, he definitely learned from them.

The second and third games of his career he played on the Panarin line. Four of the next five he played on the Zibanejad line. That's the entirety of his first month of his career. Do you find it surprising a player with 1 point in his first 15 games got moved down? I think most teams would do that. The Kings did with Byfield taken one pick later. He got less than 10 minutes in his 2nd/3rd game of his first full year.

 

[McRanger92]

Laf will probably be an 80 point guy with PP time and top line minutes. You know, what every other #1 pick gets to start their career. He's far from the worst of the bunch or main culprit. Panarin taught him to be a soft, lazy perimeter player.

 

[DanielBrassard]

The first three games of his career he played on the Panarin line. Four of the next five he played on the Zibanejad line. That's the entirety of his first month of his career.

Wait a minute, that can’t be true. I was told he never played with a good player in his career up until last season. The same good player who is a bad influence on him and the reason he’s a huge disappointment.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

You're like the harbinger of rekindling horrible hockey memories I had done so well to suppress

Be that as it may, two of the most enjoyable seasons during the Dark Ages were 99-00 and 00-01. The team finally let the kids play and was fun to watch. If not for a down year by Richter in 00-01 and his knee injury, they probably make the playoffs that year, which back then was quite an accomplishment for them.

Most of those guys didn't have a pedigree, though. They were mid and late round picks that all kind of hit as NHL regulars - the kind of guys who'd fill out a roster, not that you'd build around...the Mike Yorks, Kim Johnssons, Jan Hlavacs, and more. The future was bright with them, and guys like Brendl and Lundmark who were forecast to be the stars of the future.

Naturally, the team traded a bunch of those assets for Lindros after he was damaged goods.

I've been asking to see this kind of homegrown development for a long time. Every time, it was gonna be different. Kreider and Zucc in the teens. Laf and Kakko after that core (Richards/Nash/Gaborik/MSL/Girardi/Staal/McDonagh/Hank) burned itself out without a Cup. Now as the Zib/Kreider core proves itself incapable of winning anything meaningful, we're gonna hope on Perreault and Othmann apparently.

I'm just tired of giving this org the benefit of the doubt, or wasting breath getting excited about prospects anymore. This org could trade Laf, and he could turn into a 100 point player overnight, and they'll still turn around when Gabe is deemed NHL ready and put him on the third line. The lessons just continue to not be learned. So, I guess the beatings will continue until morale improves?

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Apparently because he was drafted first overall as a teenager he's expected to grab control of this team and make it his team and lead by example, despite coming in as a teenager surrounded by guys making 8-12 mil and putting up 80-120 points. Instead of, you know, learning from and leaning on the established veterans around him.

I mean, if from day one we had deployed him that way (you're getting 1st line minutes 1st line linemates and pp1 time) as happens with most 1OAs, despite the veterans around him, it would be a different story. But we saddled him to the third line, told him he wasn't as good as the vets and needs to play 12 minutes a game learning from those players before he can be trusted to lead.

Well, he definitely learned from them.

Guys like Colin Blackwell got PP time over him. I've said for a long time that bringing Ryan Strome back was a mistake. It was a shitty attempt to replace Derek Stepan with a player who was always super overrated, and extending him was a horrible move. his simultaneously resulted in slowplaying Chytil, too.

Laf should have been stapled to the top line and PP1 from Day 1 on a team that wasn't much of a contender, and for the next season too, particularly in the wake of the abomination that was the Buchnevich trade.

But, whatever, it's all bygones now. At least all that focus on backchecking and defense and punishing him for turnovers has paid off!

 

[bouds]

Laf will probably be an 80 point guy with PP time and top line minutes. You know, what every other #1 pick gets to start their career. He's far from the worst of the bunch or main culprit. Panarin taught him to be a soft, lazy perimeter player.

Panarin, the root of all evil.

When in doubt, blame the only guy who produces even when he's no longer in his prime. Laf owes Bread, got that mofo paid.

Hopefully there's a GM in the league that feels the way you do about Laf, so we can unload his ass for something because he's not a guy who can carry a line or push the pace at all.

 

[TheWrongWay]

Be that as it may, two of the most enjoyable seasons during the Dark Ages were 99-00 and 00-01. The team finally let the kids play and was fun to watch. If not for a down year by Richter in 00-01 and his knee injury, they probably make the playoffs that year, which back then was quite an accomplishment for them.

Most of those guys didn't have a pedigree, though. They were mid and late round picks that all kind of hit as NHL regulars - the kind of guys who'd fill out a roster, not that you'd build around...the Mike Yorks, Kim Johnssons, Jan Hlavacs, and more. The future was bright with them, and guys like Brendl and Lundmark who were forecast to be the stars of the future.

Naturally, the team traded a bunch of those assets for Lindros after he was damaged goods.

I've been asking to see this kind of homegrown development for a long time. Every time, it was gonna be different. Kreider and Zucc in the teens. Laf and Kakko after that core (Richards/Nash/Gaborik/MSL/Girardi/Staal/McDonagh/Hank) burned itself out without a Cup. Now as the Zib/Kreider core proves itself incapable of winning anything meaningful, we're gonna hope on Perreault and Othmann apparently.

I'm just tired of giving this org the benefit of the doubt, or wasting breath getting excited about prospects anymore. This org could trade Laf, and he could turn into a 100 point player overnight, and they'll still turn around when Gabe is deemed NHL ready and put him on the third line. The lessons just continue to not be learned. So, I guess the beatings will continue until morale improves?

I hear ya, I just sort of had guys like Kevin Stevens in a storage shed in Guam in a far away dark corner of my brain. Was kind of hoping he'd stay there

 

[Grifter3511]

The second and third games of his career he played on the Panarin line. Four of the next five he played on the Zibanejad line. That's the entirety of his first month of his career. Do you find it surprising a player with 1 point in his first 15 games got moved down? I think most teams would do that. The Kings did with Byfield taken one pick later. He got less than 10 minutes in his 2nd/3rd game of his first full year.

A whole month at the very start of his career? Amazing.

And it's funny you reference the Kings and Byfield, who for the majority of his career people have felt is underachieving as well.

Edit: I'm not trying to exonerate Lafreniere entirely. If he wanted to be the guy he could definitely be showing and doing a LOT more. But our coaching and deployment during his time here has done him zero favors.