Confirmed with Link: Alexis Lafreniere Signs Extension [7Y/7.45M AAV]

[Pawnee Rangers]

Laf's skating numbers don't really look a whole lot different than they did 2 years ago.

2021-22

View attachment 845975

2023-24

View attachment 845976

Last year is really the outlier (where they were down across the board) so maybe there was some truth to him not being in shape to start the year, but he's pretty much where he was at skating wise the year before that (the skating criticisms were always dumb.)

He certainly put in the work in the offseason to position himself to be ready, but him being "faster than ever" is really an illusion that comes along with him actually having the confidence to carry the puck up ice instead of relying on someone else to do it and waiting to get it back.

I know right, why listen to the guy training NHL players?

"When I started in the league as a strength guy in Montreal, it was in 1997," Dubé said. "It was a different game. Nowadays, all the guys are fast. Every single player has got top speed. I kept on telling Laffy, 'We need to improve your separation speed,' because separation speed is what's going to give him a second or two to have room and create plays. If you ask me, that's the biggest difference when I see Laffy playing this year, compared to the last couple of years."

And @bhamill i think confidence can help you play quicker - shooting the puck immediately instead of stopping it and then shooting, making an outlet pass one a second sooner, stuff like that. I don't think confidence alone gives you an extra step.

 

[mas0764]

He played with Pan last year, he played with Zib last year, he played with every possible combination and nothing worked. Why? He was out of shape and to slow. What is wrong with saying, this guy worked hard, improved his skating, and is now reaping the completely obvious benefits.

What's wrong with it is that it's not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that the staff trusting in you with more assignments, giving you more minutes, and letting you make mistakes while learning, builds confidence, which actually positively affects your skills.

Sure, working hard and improving is a big part of it. The Get Off My Lawn crowd refuses to acknowledge the rest of the truth though.

And @bhamill i think confidence can help you play quicker - shooting the puck immediately instead of stopping it and then shooting, making an outlet pass one a second sooner, stuff like that. I don't think confidence alone gives you an extra step.

Confidence can make you skate faster, yes.

Because believing in where you are going speeds up the mental process. When your brain is going a thousand miles an hour, your legs move slower because you are overthinking.

Gee, I wonder if one is directly related to the other.

It is, but it goes both ways.

Laf's skating numbers don't really look a whole lot different than they did 2 years ago.

2021-22

View attachment 845975

2023-24

View attachment 845976

Last year is really the outlier (where they were down across the board) so maybe there was some truth to him not being in shape to start the year, but he's pretty much where he was at skating wise the year before that (the skating criticisms were always dumb.)

He certainly put in the work in the offseason to position himself to be ready, but him being "faster than ever" is really an illusion that comes along with him actually having the confidence to carry the puck up ice instead of relying on someone else to do it and waiting to get it back.

Kinda game set and match.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

What's wrong with it is that it's not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that the staff trusting in you with more assignments, giving you more minutes, and letting you make mistakes while learning, builds confidence, which actually positively affects your skills.

Sure, working hard and improving is a big part of it. The Get Off My Lawn crowd refuses to acknowledge the rest of the truth though.



Confidence can make you skate faster, yes.

Because believing in where you are going speeds up the mental process. When your brain is going a thousand miles an hour, your legs move slower because you are overthinking.



It is, but it goes both ways.



Kinda game set and match.

I’ll die on the hill that they could’ve just done this with lafreniere years ago, left it alone and seen the same progress way sooner. Acknowledging that is hard for some because it involves admitting that the teams process with drafted forwards has historically been sub optimal. Their track record speaks for itself

 

[NickyFotiu]

"We were going to take full advantage of all these extra weeks that we had," Dubé said. "Laffy took 10 days off last year, then he said, 'Let's get back at it right now.' And we used the full summer. ... All the exercises were (designed) to make sure that his skating stride would be longer, stronger, more powerful."

Through an intense regime of weight training, power skating, stretching and healthy diet, they measured a strength increase of "close to 30%" in Lafrenière's quads from the beginning of the offseason until the time he left for Rangers' training camp.

 

[Row I Goon]

Because he's lefthanded shot I just worry that his left nut sack will be unbalanced with his right, though both are large

 

[Chytilmania]

Well Zib isn't the guy he should be replacing then. Makes zero sense. One's a right handed shot, one's a lefty. You'd have to rearrange the entire PP for this move to work.

Panarin originally had Zib’s spot and Zib was the bumper.

 

[duhmetreE]

Well Zib isn't the guy he should be replacing then. Makes zero sense. One's a right handed shot, one's a lefty. You'd have to rearrange the entire PP for this move to work.

Not really. Put Panarin back on the left wall where he’s a bigger shooting threat and Laffy on the right

 

[Chytilmania]

Yeah Trocheck is usually a nonfactor on PPs except he's needed for the faceoffs.

Trocheck is elite at puck retrieval.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I know right, why listen to the guy training NHL players?

"When I started in the league as a strength guy in Montreal, it was in 1997," Dubé said. "It was a different game. Nowadays, all the guys are fast. Every single player has got top speed. I kept on telling Laffy, 'We need to improve your separation speed,' because separation speed is what's going to give him a second or two to have room and create plays. If you ask me, that's the biggest difference when I see Laffy playing this year, compared to the last couple of years."

That’s great.

His separation speed is no different than it was 2 years ago. I have no doubt that they worked on this but it hasn’t made a significant difference unless you don’t believe the numbers.

Whether or not he’s able to sustain it longer is a valid point of conversation as is whether he can get to top speed faster (if he can, it’s barely noticeable.)

He’s finding holes and hitting them with speed which is something he wasn’t doing before. A change in approach makes all the difference.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

I’ll die on the hill that they could’ve just done this with lafreniere years ago, left it alone and seen the same progress way sooner. Acknowledging that is hard for some because it involves admitting that the teams process with drafted forwards has historically been sub optimal. Their track record speaks for itself

That's what you believe, not others. Guys like Chytil, Cuylle, Laf, Schneider, Miller have been developing fine. Kakko is next to break out. Lets see how Rempe, Edstrom, Othmann, Berard, Sykora, Perreault develop in the coming years.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

That’s great.

His separation speed is no different than it was 2 years ago. I have no doubt that they worked on this but it hasn’t made a significant difference unless you don’t believe the numbers.

Whether or not he’s able to sustain it longer is a valid point of conversation as is whether he can get to top speed faster (if he can, it’s barely noticeable.)

He’s finding holes and hitting them with speed which is something he wasn’t doing before. A change in approach makes all the difference.

I'm going to believe the coach who works with him all summer long. I'm crazy like that.

 

[bhamill]

So, you say the biggest improvement happened this summer and then you ask what development happened between pre and regular season. You're not even making sense. Guys have bad camps all the time. Cuylle had an awful camp two seasons ago. Maybe it's a simple as, young guy with tons to prove get uptight and doesn't play well. That seems to make more sense than he made his biggest improvement this summer (your words) then that improvement suddenly left his body only to return at the start of the regular season.

That’s not what I said at all. And I think you know it. I didn’t ask what development happened between pre and regular season because there was no time for that sort of development. I said it was confidence. Since you seem to think, despite posting an article that cites his confidence, that confidence wasn’t the factor, I asked what it was in that short time period that made the difference. You’re trying to avoid the question because you have no logical valid answer that allows you to keep saying it was just his off season work.
Let me make it extremely simple.
1) As far as his improvements, the article says that happened before training camp.
2) In training camp camp and in preseason games, these improvements were far from evident. The detractors were literally and explicitly saying Laf showed zero sign of improvement over last year. The off season work did not show.
3) The regular season starts. The new coaching staff works with him. Begins instilling confidence. Lavi staples him to Pan’s line. He begins to click with his linemates Chytil and Pan. Fil goes down, Troch centers the line. Laf continues to build confidence.
4) Laf continues to get better through the season and is building his confidence and playing extremely well.

So, AGAIN, since even with his gains he was looking the same in pre season as he did BEFORE the gains, what happened between pre season and the regular season? What is the difference if NOT confidence? I’ll wait, though youve shown you’d rather argue against things I didn’t say than return the courtesy of simply answering the question as I have yours.

 

[bhamill]

What's wrong with it is that it's not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that the staff trusting in you with more assignments, giving you more minutes, and letting you make mistakes while learning, builds confidence, which actually positively affects your skills.

Sure, working hard and improving is a big part of it. The Get Off My Lawn crowd refuses to acknowledge the rest of the truth though.



Confidence can make you skate faster, yes.

Because believing in where you are going speeds up the mental process. When your brain is going a thousand miles an hour, your legs move slower because you are overthinking.



It is, but it goes both ways.



Kinda game set and match.

Exactly.

 

[JohnC]

There’s no chance the organization is going to want to put up with the optics of Mika Zibanejad being a 13 goal 35 point player because they moved him out of his role as a power play merchant. It’s bad enough they pay Barclay Goodrow $3.5M to have (2) more goals this year than I do.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

That’s not what I said at all. And I think you know it. I didn’t ask what development happened between pre and regular season because there was no time for that sort of development. I said it was confidence. Since you seem to think, despite posting an article that cites his confidence, that confidence wasn’t the factor, I asked what it was in that short time period that made the difference. You’re trying to avoid the question because you have no logical valid answer that allows you to keep saying it was just his off season work.
Let me make it extremely simple.
1) As far as his improvements, the article says that happened before training camp.
2) In training camp camp and in preseason games, these improvements were far from evident. The detractors were literally and explicitly saying Laf showed zero sign of improvement over last year. The off season work did not show.
3) The regular season starts. The new coaching staff works with him. Begins instilling confidence. Lavi staples him to Pan’s line. He begins to click with his linemates Chytil and Pan. Fil goes down, Troch centers the line. Laf continues to build confidence.
4) Laf continues to get better through the season and is building his confidence and playing extremely well.

So, AGAIN, since even with his gains he was looking the same in pre season as he did BEFORE the gains, what happened between pre season and the regular season? What is the difference if NOT confidence? I’ll wait, though youve shown you’d rather argue against things I didn’t say than return the courtesy of simply answering the question as I have yours.

What I honestly think is, everything good that has happened to him this season began with him committing to becoming a better/quicker/faster/stronger whatever you want to call it skater. And I think there's plenty of evidence to support that. He hasn't gotten any more noticeable time on the PP this year and his numbers have sky rocketed. That was the magic key to unlocking Laff last season according to a bunch of posters here because it would give him confidence and that turned out to be bunch gobbly gook. I also think him moving to RW was the smartest decision he and the coaches have made all year long.

 

[bhamill]

What I honestly think is, everything good that has happened to him this season began with him committing to becoming a better/quicker/faster/stronger whatever you want to call it skater. And I think there's plenty of evidence to support that. He hasn't gotten any more noticeable time on the PP this year and his numbers have sky rocketed. That was the magic key to unlocking Laff last season according to a bunch of posters here because it would give him confidence and that turned out to be bunch gobbly gook. I also think him moving to RW was the smartest decision he and the coaches have made all year long.

You’re pretending that the ONLY way to gain more confidence is powerplay. Something nobody said, so far as I saw. I certainly never said that. And you maintain confidence has nothing to do with it, even though YOUVE said that his gains probably gave him some confidence. They almost certainly did, though not enough to make him look different in pre season, as did the coaching staff having actual faith in him.
So, again, what happened between pre season and regular season if not confidence growing? Can you give a straight answer or would you prefer we just drop this? I’m guessing the latter. And that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with you bud. We just apparently disagree on this point. Hahaha.
I’ve also been saying all along that he’s been doubtless working hard in EVERY offseason, not just the latest, which your article confirms. The hard work matters, of COURSE it matters, but didn’t show until he started gaining confidence.

 

[bleedblue94]

I think the fact Lavy put Laffy on that rw spot with bread and just left him there is a completely understated thing that happened this year. The stubbornness to see that through has been huge. Laffy has had stability and the building confidence to make mistakes this year and play through them without wondering if he's going to be skating 10 mins the next night with Goodrow on the 4th line. Laffy has just absolutely evolved this year, but the decisions by Lavy to support that haven't been spoken about enough. 3 coaches in 4 professionally years and the yoyo effect on this kid was so detrimental. Very happy for Laffy

 

[mas0764]

I think the fact Lavy put Laffy on that rw spot with bread and just left him there is a completely understated thing that happened this year. The stubbornness to see that through has been huge. Laffy has had stability and the building confidence to make mistakes this year and play through them without wondering if he's going to be skating 10 mins the next night with Goodrow on the 4th line. Laffy has just absolutely evolved this year, but the decisions by Lavy to support that haven't been spoken about enough. 3 coaches in 4 professionally years and the yoyo effect on this kid was so detrimental. Very happy for Laffy

Certainly part of it.

PP time would also be part of it, if he got any.

 

[bleedblue94]

Certainly part of it.

PP time would also be part of it, if he got any.

Who cares about pp time right now. You want wins or cookies?

The team is setup how it's going to roll into the playoffs, any incoming change to the pp isn't coming until next season. Move on ha

 

[mas0764]

Who cares about pp time right now. You want wins or cookies?

The team is setup how it's going to roll into the playoffs, any incoming change to the pp isn't coming until next season. Move on ha

More confidence yields more wins. You basically just said so yourself. I agree.

 

[Rangers in 7]

Yup. The next question, from next season maybe, is whether he can drive a line away from Panarin? Would make a huge difference if we had 2 lines that looked dangerous on nearly every shift

Drive a line? What line would that be? Because we are paying a guy over 9 mil to drive the 1st line and he isn’t doing it. Lol

 

[Rangers in 7]

Guys guys guys, as the aforementioned expert on this topic and someone who has been proven right many times over this season in regards to laf….

It’s confidence

I see a lot of people saying oo well it’s because his skating improved. These are also the same people that were calling for his head in the preseason. Do people not remember the so called prominent beat writer saying the entire rangers organization were worried because he was playing softball and not training, and partying

We would have seen this laf 2 years ago if he wasn’t jerked around by the coaching staff

 

[mike14]

Drive a line? What line would that be? Because we are paying a guy over 9 mil to drive the 1st line and he isn’t doing it. Lol

Well that's what we need to find out for next season. Can we pair him with Mika, or a new center and one of the prospects, and get a line that's another threat beyond whatever line Panarin is on...

 

[UnSandvich]

Guys guys guys, as the aforementioned expert on this topic and someone who has been proven right many times over this season in regards to laf….

It’s confidence

I see a lot of people saying oo well it’s because his skating improved. These are also the same people that were calling for his head in the preseason. Do people not remember the so called prominent beat writer saying the entire rangers organization were worried because he was playing softball and not training, and partying

We would have seen this laf 2 years ago if he wasn’t jerked around by the coaching staff

View attachment 846225

BCBS is an absolute moron, and I would not be at all surprised for this to be a complete fabrication for clicks. Anyone taking that idiot seriously needs to get their head checked out

 

[McRanger92]

Drive a line? What line would that be? Because we are paying a guy over 9 mil to drive the 1st line and he isn’t doing it. Lol

What’s a line driver anyway? Mika is a line driver. He’s just driving his kind to break even 5v5 and make an impact on special teams. He’s having the same year he always does outside of his usual 10 goals in 7 games stretch. Hopefully in comes in early June lol

But the Panarin-Trocheck-Laf line isn’t going anywhere. They are all long term pieces