There's less than zero chance Laf and Kakko will score 60 points as Rangers ever because they'll never be on PP1 consistently enough to be able to do it. At this rate they'll have to struggle to reach 40 points again because all their meaningful ice time is 5v5.
Laf scored 35 even strength points last season as a 21 year old. With 15:13 ATOI. He's productive with his time. Scoring at even strength will never feel as consistent. If he were locked on PP1 he'd have been able to produce at least 15 or more PP points. He could've been a 50-60 point player last year. With the guys he's playing with at even strength this season, if he'd even be considered for PP1 he could be a 60+ point player this season. As a 22 year old. The PP time is extremely important for offensive players. Without it they're relegated to role players.
You can believe what you want to believe. Prucha could snipe. Laf gets his goals in front of the goal mouth. Again, think about the way PP1 operates. Laf would be where, on the half wall? Bumper? Those two spots don't get any action. The puck goes to the left circle for Zib, or it is shot from the back by Panarin or Fox with Kreider in front.
The Devils ate them alive in the neutral zone and with their transition. They weren't lackadaisical. They simply could not keep up.
I honestly don't really care where Laf is put on the PP, as long as he's there, getting touches, thinking the game offensively in the O zone. It's free O zone time, free puck possession, with the other top players on the team. No D responsibility. It's the best way for all young forwards to grow confidence. It's where all the top young forwards in the league boost their stats and confidence. It has nothing to do with what I believe its a fact. Look around the league. The biggest difference between Laf's time in the NHL and his peers is they've all been on PP1 since day one and he's yet to be put there. And yes, take Trocheck off PP1. He doesn't need to be there. He had 9 PP goals last year. Laf had as many EV goals as Trocheck and Trocheck was gifted the entire season with Panarin at EV and PP and the most he could do was the same amount of goals as "bust" Lafreniere at EV and only 9 PP goals. Laf could score 9 goals on the PP while sleepwalking. He had 3 with minimal time on the PP. He couldn't have scored 6 more with the time Trocheck got? If Zibanejad can't win a face off on PP1 he shouldn't be a center at all. He would be fine taking the face off.
Complete speculation on your part on how many goals he'd have. But if you want him to gain confidence and have more offensive touches, that's fair enough.
It's speculation but you have to look at the rate he produces at even strength and just logically come to a conclusion. He's been one of the team's more productive players at even strength since his rookie season. He doesn't really have a choice. But if he's doing it at even strength when it's exponentially more difficult to score points, and consistency is more random, then it stands to reason he'd eventually start producing on PP1 where a lopsided amount of time is spent set up in the O zone with puck possession and a much better supporting cast than he's typically on the ice with.
