Player Discussion Alexis Lafreniere

[Mac n Gs]

Laf won the battle, kept the puck in. I think there was a time gap before Panarin picks up the puck. Laf didn't get it directly to him. And then Panarin kind of creates the scoring play on his own, using Chytil as a pass decoy. I think unassisted goal was the right call. Though, yeah, I wish Laf got a helper for his troubles.

No, I know that, but I could’ve sworn he swiped the puck off Okposo and had the lucky ricochet go right to Panarin before the shot. It doesn’t matter what happened with Panarin since Laf would’ve gotten the assist for being the previous Ranger to touch the puck before Panarin.

Either way, if he’s making those types of defensive plays on the puck consistently, he’ll rack up more assists. He had the chance for two more nice assists with the backhand pass that led Chytil in on a mini-breakaway in P1, and then the other pass attempt to Chytil on the 2-on-1 where a lot of people wanted him to shoot

 

[RickChartraw]

Only caught the first period last night.

From the box score, was he taking the face-offs for Chytil? Guessing this may be from Chytil's upper-body injury in preseason?

 

[Harbour Dog]

Only caught the first period last night.

From the box score, was he taking the face-offs for Chytil? Guessing this may be from Chytil's upper-body injury in preseason?

Probably, yeah. If he's actually a 55%+ faceoff guy though, then we might be seeing them try that out more often from now on.

 

[Rangers in 7]

Chytil has always been atrocious on draws. I don’t know if laf could handle the defensive responsibilities of center. Maybe in a few years it would work.

For now I’m ok with him taking the draws but playing on the wing in the defensive zone. He doesn’t need to be worrying about the d coverage.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Laf won the battle, kept the puck in. I think there was a time gap before Panarin picks up the puck. Laf didn't get it directly to him. And then Panarin kind of creates the scoring play on his own, using Chytil as a pass decoy. I think unassisted goal was the right call. Though, yeah, I wish Laf got a helper for his troubles.

While that is pretty much true, we have seen the NHL credit players for an assist for far less involvement.

 

[Ruggs225]

No, I know that, but I could’ve sworn he swiped the puck off Okposo and had the lucky ricochet go right to Panarin before the shot. It doesn’t matter what happened with Panarin since Laf would’ve gotten the assist for being the previous Ranger to touch the puck before Panarin.

Either way, if he’s making those types of defensive plays on the puck consistently, he’ll rack up more assists. He had the chance for two more nice assists with the backhand pass that led Chytil in on a mini-breakaway in P1, and then the other pass attempt to Chytil on the 2-on-1 where a lot of people wanted him to shoot

I didnt realize Laf didng get credit for the assist. That sucks. He made that play happen and touched the puck. Wonder why he didn’tz

Anyway, he had a hell of a game

 

[bl02]

Maybe he likes playing with Fil? I see they do have some chemisty when cycling the puck in deep.
I mean the best hockey we saw of his was in the 2022 playoffs. His best moments were with Chytil at center.

 

[Levitate]

No, I know that, but I could’ve sworn he swiped the puck off Okposo and had the lucky ricochet go right to Panarin before the shot. It doesn’t matter what happened with Panarin since Laf would’ve gotten the assist for being the previous Ranger to touch the puck before Panarin.

Either way, if he’s making those types of defensive plays on the puck consistently, he’ll rack up more assists. He had the chance for two more nice assists with the backhand pass that led Chytil in on a mini-breakaway in P1, and then the other pass attempt to Chytil on the 2-on-1 where a lot of people wanted him to shoot

I think he created the turnover and stole the puck but a Buffalo player than tapped it away and right to Panarin

Anyways, I don't think Laf will ever be that kind of 1st overall who carries the puck and controls it all the time and kind of sets the whole pace of the line and all, but he's smart about getting into the right places at the right time, does have good hands and good touch on his passes, has a strong shot...there's no reason he can't be a highly productive player without being that puck carrier type. That's what I want out of him now...

He had a real good game, "flashed" a lot of what got him drafted so high, could have had a 3 point game or so but for some great saves against and a scorers decision.

What the coach needs to do is not panic if the lines goes cold for a few games. Was kind of what happened with Gallant...Laf got on that Panarin-Trochek line and did well, line was working pretty well together, then went cold for a few games and Gallant blew it up. But I think Lavy is more interested in making lines work than scrambling them to find instant chemistry, so we'll see

 

[bleedblue94]

He looked stronger physically to me, but this is the crucial point. Keep this engagement up night after night

I didn't see stronger, I saw more engaged and willing to battle. He has looked strong before, specifically in 2022 playoffs, but it's the desire and will. That's why I said before above everything he needs to show the effort and commitment.

 

[mas0764]

I think he created the turnover and stole the puck but a Buffalo player than tapped it away and right to Panarin

Anyways, I don't think Laf will ever be that kind of 1st overall who carries the puck and controls it all the time and kind of sets the whole pace of the line and all, but he's smart about getting into the right places at the right time, does have good hands and good touch on his passes, has a strong shot...there's no reason he can't be a highly productive player without being that puck carrier type. That's what I want out of him now...

He had a real good game, "flashed" a lot of what got him drafted so high, could have had a 3 point game or so but for some great saves against and a scorers decision.

What the coach needs to do is not panic if the lines goes cold for a few games. Was kind of what happened with Gallant...Laf got on that Panarin-Trochek line and did well, line was working pretty well together, then went cold for a few games and Gallant blew it up. But I think Lavy is more interested in making lines work than scrambling them to find instant chemistry, so we'll see

I don't think he'll ever be Bedard or Hughes but I think he can get better at carrying the puck as he gains more confidence and experience.

He DOES have the passing gene. He's just been lost at this level so far. He made a nice centering pass to Chytil last night that easily could have scored. As he begins to set up more and more of those I bet he will carry the puck more.

 

[ArPanet]

Lol at Laf eating and scratching his beard and ears to death during his post game interview.


He looks like he's not the biggest fan of being interviewed anymore.

He didn't do any of that when early on he was being interviewed in French. Then Drury forbade him from doing interviews in French.

 

[TGWL]

He was moving his feet last night and that's what we want to see consistently from him. That vision from Panarin doe reacting off a fast rebound. .

 

[ArPanet]

Valiquette on Staple's podcast after the Rangers were sent home was talking about Laf and he said, it's tough for kids to come off the bench and have to hump it to the d zone and start absorbing pressure all the time. Has to be much more fun heading north.

 

[TGWL]

Even with Chytil full healthy, he's bad on draws, so I don't see the issue with Laf not playing a full center position and still taking the draws. The one thing they harped on is the wingers being relevant on the draws. So if you can consistency get that, you'll find more than enough time to default back to whatever position you're expected to fill.

 

[LORDE]

Hater train running with a pretty light load today.

Nice.

I saw more from him in the 1st period than almost his entire tenure (2 sick goals in 2 seasons was about it)

 

[NickyFotiu]

Chytil has always been atrocious on draws. I don’t know if laf could handle the defensive responsibilities of center. Maybe in a few years it would work.

For now I’m ok with him taking the draws but playing on the wing in the defensive zone. He doesn’t need to be worrying about the d coverage.

If a guy is good at faceoffs he can take them without actually playing center especially in the offensive zone.

 

[LemonSauceD]

Bring Lafreniere home to Vancouver.

 

[CLW]

I saw more from him in the 1st period than almost his entire tenure (2 sick goals in 2 seasons was about it)

It isn't a coincidence. The team played a team game where they support each other, back each other up and moved the puck fast as a unit. That's the game that made him stand out and get drafted where he was (see the WJC clips eg). Under Gallant he looked lost at sea a lot of the time, especially last season, because the support game was non-existent.

 

[Rongomania]

I saw more from him in the 1st period than almost his entire tenure (2 sick goals in 2 seasons was about it)

We've all seen glimpses of that guy. No denying it.

I hope he builds off of that. Let's hope the crusty ol' broadway hat fills the kid with confidence.

 

[Shadowtron]

We've all seen glimpses of that guy. No denying it.

I hope he builds off of that. Let's hope the crusty ol' broadways hat fills the kid with confidence.

That’s the biggest thing. He has to build off it. Playing with Bread should help with that.

 

[LORDE]

It isn't a coincidence. The team played a team game where they support each other, back each other up and moved the puck fast as a unit. That's the game that made him stand out and get drafted where he was (see the WJC clips eg). Under Gallant he looked lost at sea a lot of the time, especially last season, because the support game was non-existent.

More than his game, I LOVED the team's game so agreed there.

Let's have lots more of both plz

We've all seen glimpses of that guy. No denying it.

I hope he builds off of that. Let's hope the crusty ol' broadways hat fills the kid with confidence.

Don't they change the hat each year???

Yuck if not

 

[xsniper11x]

This is exactly why context is important, especially when evaluating young players.

When the whole team, including respected vets, plays poorly at ES, it shouldn't be some grand mystery when the kids (who rely entirely on ES) struggle as well.

When the whole team looks much better at ES and suddenly the kids look much better, it isn't just a coincidence. Its very difficult to isolate individual performances when the problem is systemic. And that applies even more for young players just trying to find their way in this league.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Give him an 8x8 contract

 

[ncdoc]

Yes, hoping Laf takes off in a system approach. I think the quinn and gallant years throttled him. He may not be what we expected from a first pick but I think he has the opportunity to ba a great player. Still so young. Let us see what happens this season.

 

[007]

The trick with Lafrenière is consistency. Good start, but need more. Absolutely he should get the chance.

I'm trying to think back, has Laffy played with Bread much at all? I don't think so. I couldn't watch much of the game, was it a good combo?