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Alexis Lafrenière

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I don't get it, and I defend him a lot too. Or I have at least. Right now I am not going to assume he is going to break out. I did last year. The way he ended the season and the postseason he had made me think he is a guy we can see flank the left side on an Olympic team some day. But he is one of those players that shows flashes of brilliance but spaced FAR apart. Patrick Marleau, if people remember, came into the league as a guy who was expected to have a better career than he did. Once in a while he made a nice move, did a nice rush and it made you think "Why can't he do that all of the time?" And this was when he was younger too. So you assumed he'd put it all together and be a star but he never was. He was just merely good. Lafreniere isn't even that. Marleau at least legitimately made some Olympic teams.

I don't get it with him. He was so good as a junior in the QMJHL. Had "NHL star" written all over him. A great WJC in 2020. Definitely solidified that he is a 1st overall pick at the time. I don't know if he just is a poor candidate to translate into the pro game or what but I always thought he had some NHL chops to him.
 
He'll be a useful player for a long time, but his offensive tools were overrated coming out of the draft.

Jack of all trades, master of none.
 
Crosby2010 said:
I don't get it, and I defend him a lot too. Or I have at least. Right now I am not going to assume he is going to break out. I did last year. The way he ended the season and the postseason he had made me think he is a guy we can see flank the left side on an Olympic team some day. But he is one of those players that shows flashes of brilliance but spaced FAR apart. Patrick Marleau, if people remember, came into the league as a guy who was expected to have a better career than he did. Once in a while he made a nice move, did a nice rush and it made you think "Why can't he do that all of the time?" And this was when he was younger too. So you assumed he'd put it all together and be a star but he never was. He was just merely good. Lafreniere isn't even that. Marleau at least legitimately made some Olympic teams.

I don't get it with him. He was so good as a junior in the QMJHL. Had "NHL star" written all over him. A great WJC in 2020. Definitely solidified that he is a 1st overall pick at the time. I don't know if he just is a poor candidate to translate into the pro game or what but I always thought he had some NHL chops to him.
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Marleau was a much better player than Laf. He had insane speed in his prime and could output 30-40 goals, 70-80 points per season at a time when 100 points put a player in Art Ross contention.

Laf's first problem is that he is average at everything, nothing in his skill set stands out. He's not slow but he's not fast. His shot is average, his hands and vision are average and I don't see much progress overall. When you draft a player 1OA, you expect him to be dominant at some point in his career, but I don't see that happening in his case.

His second and third problems are the Rangers' coaching staff being terrible at developing young players and him lacking confidence. When he plays with confidence like he did in the playoffs, he can be effective.
 
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Matti_A said:
Would he be a top 10 pick in a redraft?
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In no order.

Stutzle
Raymond
Jarvis
Peterka
Lundell
Rossi
Sanderson
Faber
Lohrei
Guhle
Holloway
Chinakhov (great start)

12 players that anyone should take in front of him, then you have players who are close to him, like Cuylle, Byfield, Neighbours, Perfetti...
 
Rabid Ranger said:
He's not a bust. He is a passenger though.
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Said it when they signed that deal. Risky basing your long-term value on a guy who only excelled to a still rather unremarkable degree tethered to a 120-point winger. He’s never been more than the third best player on his line.
 
Some players are dependent on having good players around them and a functioning team. Other players make other players better. Simple as.
 
He’s a solid complimentary piece, smart player but missing the dynamic element to drive play. His success will be dependent on what’s happening around him.
 
NinjaKick said:
former 1st overall, 5th year in the league, on pace for 40ish points and is a -18...


whats up with this guy?
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I knew he’s been disappointing (considering his draft pedigree and contract) but those stats a pretty bad, especially the minus 18. Maybe the Rangers should have dumped Lafreniere on Vancouver in the Miller deal?
 
Going back and looking at Elite Prospects ratings he had a 9/9 in hockey sense. Never seen Laf display more than an average hockey IQ. Makes me skeptical of Q prospect production going forward.
 
Jay Gray said:
Going back and looking at Elite Prospects ratings he had a 9/9 in hockey sense. Never seen Laf display more than an average hockey IQ. Makes me skeptical of Q prospect production going forward.
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His hockey sense looks excellent when he's got time and space (like in junior), but his processing speed has never been good enough to take advantage of it in the NHL.
 
I know he has the talent, the shot, the solid IQ. He just can't seem to throw it all together which is a shame so far into his career. He has the tools to be a good player but I wonder if it's just not good enough or he simply doesn't have the drive? I've been high on AL since his first year (albeit underwhelming season) and I know he has it, but does he have, it?

The unrelenting drive to improve? I can't help but think his struggles are mental because he has all of the attributes to be at least a decent player (60pts+)

He will never live up to his draft position, however. I think people have mostly accepted this.
 
Not taking into account what we know about the players picked after him in 2025, would Lafrenière still have been taken 1OA by another club or did the Rangers take the wrong guy at the time?
 
Megustaelhockey said:
Not taking into account what we know about the players picked after him in 2025, would Lafrenière still have been taken 1OA by another club or did the Rangers take the wrong guy at the time?
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I'm fairly certain he would of been taken first overall if another team had the pick. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I remember he was the consensus choice and no one would of been crazy enough to deviate.
 
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