Alexis Lafreniere disappointing season start? PART 2

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

He'll be fine. He's gaining valuable experience this year. Not every first overall pick is going to burst on the scene and score 106 points in their rookie year like Ovie.

 

[HF007]

He'll be fine. He's gaining valuable experience this year. Not every first overall pick is going to burst on the scene and score 106 points in their rookie year like Ovie.

This is not a one off thing with this organization though

 

[Pockets16]

He'll be fine. He's gaining valuable experience this year. Not every first overall pick is going to burst on the scene and score 106 points in their rookie year like Ovie.

I don't think anybody was expecting an Ovie like explosion but I do remember a lot of hockey analysts and fans saying he'd put up 50-60 points because of how "NHL ready" he was.

 

[JoemAvs]

He'll be fine. He's gaining valuable experience this year. Not every first overall pick is going to burst on the scene and score 106 points in their rookie year like Ovie.

Most #1 forwards do so (bursting on the scene or atleast making a big impact right away). Atleast the good ones.

None of Hall, MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews or even Hischier struggled like that and Lafreniere was considered one of the oldest and most NHL ready #1 prospect we have seen in a while...

But yeah he will be fine. But I think its fair to doubt his ultimate upside a bit right now. He has plenty of time to change that narrative anyways...

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

I don't think anybody was expecting an Ovie like explosion but I do remember a lot of hockey analysts and fans saying he'd put up 50-60 points because of how "NHL ready" he was.

A point a game? That was a bit ambitious, yeah.

 

[ASAP Surg]

A point a game? That was a bit ambitious, yeah.

My assumption was that they meant 50-60 over the course of a full season.

 

[Peasy]

When do you change the title to just "disappointing season"?

 

[OKR]

Most #1 forwards do so (bursting at the scene or atleast making a big impact right away). Atleast the good ones.

For every McDavid there is a Draisaitl, Rantanen,Kucherov etc and there are multiple high picks who are yet to even taste the NHL game, the reality is bit skewed on this aspect by success of recent number 1 picks, Lafreniere wasn’t expected to reach Matthews, McDavid level so it’s only logical he wouldn’t start out like them either.

His all around game is good for a rookie his age, needs to find out what works for him offensively in a new league and he’ll be more than fine. ofcourse nobody knows yet if he ever will, but he has plenty of time to do so.

 

[canuck2010]

Do the Rangers have any NHL centres, just asking?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Do the Rangers have any NHL centres, just asking?

Zibanejad, Strome, Chytil, and Rooney.

 

[Woncka]

If hes no good for the Rangers, the Devils will GLADLY take him

Lafreniere next to Hughes would be a wet dream.. instead ill just have to listen to whos better for years!

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

Alexis Lafreniere is going to be a superstar. Some rookies take longer to adjust to the league than others, and I can't imagine the pressure he has, being the 1st overall pick, at 18 yrs old, in the biggest franchise in the league.

Look at Jack Hughes, 21 pts in 61 games in his rookie season. Most people calling him a 'bust', overrated, too small, etc etc. Another rookie 18 yr old kid, with the world on his shoulders, and fans expecting that kid to carry the franchise into the promise land, in his rookie year. Now, the Devils haven't really improved, 2nd last in the division, but Jack has clearly made adjustments, already 16 pts in 29 games, and a +1 on this team is pretty impressive (he was -26 last year). 19 years old, (by far the youngest on the team, no one even 20 yrs old), yet 2nd in pts, probably will end up as the team leader by seasons end. And then we'll see an even better version of Jack Hughes next season.

Lafreniere is a generational talent, I believe that, and as the Rangers evolve, so will he. So Rangers fans need to stay loyal to the kid, defend him whenever fans try to throw dirt on him, and it will pay off when he breaks his shell

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Alexis Lafreniere is going to be a superstar. Some rookies take longer to adjust to the league than others, and I can't imagine the pressure he has, being the 1st overall pick, at 18 yrs old, in the biggest franchise in the league.

Look at Jack Hughes, 21 pts in 61 games in his rookie season. Most people calling him a 'bust', overrated, too small, etc etc. Another rookie 18 yr old kid, with the world on his shoulders, and fans expecting that kid to carry the franchise into the promise land, in his rookie year. Now, the Devils haven't really improved, 2nd last in the division, but Jack has clearly made adjustments, already 16 pts in 29 games, and a +1 on this team is pretty impressive (he was -26 last year). 19 years old, (by far the youngest on the team, no one even 20 yrs old), yet 2nd in pts, probably will end up as the team leader by seasons end. And then we'll see an even better version of Jack Hughes next season.

Lafreniere is a generational talent, I believe that, and as the Rangers evolve, so will he. So Rangers fans need to stay loyal to the kid, defend him whenever fans try to throw dirt on him, and it will pay off when he breaks his shell

The reason given for Hughes’ first season issues—young for a newly-drafted rookie—doesn’t apply to Lafreniere.

 

[OKR]

The reason given for Hughes’ first season issues—young for a newly-drafted rookie—doesn’t apply to Lafreniere.

The first season issues Hughes had also aren’t the same as Lafreniere’s so that doesn’t matter anyway.

 

[canuck2010]

Zibanejad, Strome, Chytil, and Rooney.

Apologies I wasn't very clear. Are these guys a competent group of centres for an NHL team or run of the mill at best?

 

[IslandersFan17]

Will Laffy be fine, probably, but the excuses absolutely need to stop.
every player is going to burst onto the scene”

Well, then why was Laffy hyped up and discussed in the regard he was? He was a first overall pick out of over 200 selected during the draft. The converted points from other leagues to the NHL had him above the likes of Matthews, McKinnon, Hughes, Hall, RNH, and only behind McDavid.

again, there is more a chance laff meets those expectations than not, but the excuses people are using on this thread are bananas.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Just to recap, 9 points in 32 games : 2 points vs Sabres, 2 points vs Flyers, 2 points vs Devils
2 points vs Bruins and 1 point vs Capitals.

6 vs bottom dwellers, 3 vs play-offs teams.

 

[SI90]

Just to recap, 9 points in 32 games : 2 points vs Sabres, 2 points vs Flyers, 2 points vs Devils
2 points vs Bruins and 1 point vs Capitals.

6 vs bottom dwellers, 3 vs play-offs teams.

but how many hits does he have?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Just to recap, 9 points in 32 games : 2 points vs Sabres, 2 points vs Flyers, 2 points vs Devils
2 points vs Bruins and 1 point vs Capitals.

6 vs bottom dwellers, 3 vs play-offs teams.

Thanks for the recap, champ. You really went all out to dig deep into those point totals. Love to see the dedication.

 

[flying v 604]

That's a bad argument. Nobody is expecting him to produce like Crosby and McDavid.
He isn't producing at even the level of lesser 1st overall picks like Hischier, Hughes, Yakupov, etc. Or even 3rd overall picks like Kotkaniemi and Dach.

That's the thing right? A player that goes 1st overall goes first overall for a reason. Not saying they should come in and be a ppg but to say he should be cut the same slack as a prospect drafted later doesn't add up. A #1 or #2 gets drafted that high because they are clearly seen as being on another level.
There is no excuse for Laf or Kakko since they already have man-sized bodies. A guy like Kakko in his 2nd year should not be at a point where all you can say about his game is his analytics have improved and a guy like Laf who is physically mature and dominated his peers should be struggling as bad as he is. Hopefully, they turn it around but history seems to show most top picks that struggle this bad tend to have been overrated pre-draft.

 

[TGWL]

After that pass last night I would sit him a game. I'll defend him for adjusting to the game and being a rookie / needing to learn the NHL game speed, but that pass just can't happen. Does he have clown feet because he seems to be nearly falling over every first step he takes...

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Typical fan logic: “You don’t know what the f*** you’re talking about, you have to watch the games.”

Rangers fan, when the topic is Lafreniere: “Who cares about what happens on the ice, he’ll be fine, gotta wait several years to even talk about it.”

 

[Fataldogg]

He'll be fine. He's gaining valuable experience this year. Not every first overall pick is going to burst on the scene and score 106 points in their rookie year like Ovie.

No one expected that. Most 1st overall picks will score 50-60 points and be an immediate impact player even as an 18-19 year old [that would be approximately 35 points in this 56 game shortened season] . The fact that he is going to get 15+ points is a major disappointment.

 

[Hodgy]

This is a pretty disastrous season for Laf. Statistically, not even seeing much progression. Still time left, but if we don’t see any meaningful progression, this could be one of the worst first overall seasons in recent memory.

 

[IdontSpitOnTheIce]

Gotta keep in mind that moving to another country alone when young and being mostly isolated due to the covid situation in the country isn’t easy for everyone.