F Alexis Lafreniere - Rimouski Oceanic, QMJHL (2020 Draft) Part 2

[57special]

Hope the injury is less severe than it looked. Seems to be a great player, and leader.

 

[Anardil]

I know that this will come off as a hot take, but man, every time I watch Byfield play, I get a Benoit Pouliot vibe. I hope to hell that I am wrong, because it is evident that he has skills. If the Habs somehow get the 2nd pick in the draft, I would hope that if they decide to pick a center, that the choice would be Stutzle. But that is just me.

Thankfully there is still half a season to go. Nothing is set in stone at this point, other than it being clear that Lafrenière is the obvious #1.

 

[Just Linda]

This good? No I don’t think yourself and many others, have really realized if you still think Byfield goes 1

Considering I predicted Lafreniere getting 9pts in the first 5 games and Byfield getting 2 pts during that same time, I'd say I'm pretty close to what I'm expecting.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Hope the injury is less severe than it looked. Seems to be a great player, and leader.

Doesn't sound like it is a serious injury. No structural damage to the knee.

 

[ponder]

Doesn't sound like it is a serious injury. No structural damage to the knee.

Really good news. Looked very serious at the time, but sounds not so bad, there’s even a chance he returns during the WJCs apparently!

 

[Star Ocean]

Doesn't sound like it is a serious injury. No structural damage to the knee.

Source?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Source?

Bob McKenzie.

 

[HabsAddict]

A couple of plays Lafy made reminds me of Beliveau. Yes, I'm that old!

I wonder if our first (10th?) and Suzuki pries him from any team with a first round choice?

 

[ponder]

A couple of plays Lafy made reminds me of Beliveau. Yes, I'm that old!

I wonder if our first (10th?) and Suzuki pries him from any team with a first round choice?

10th + Suzuki wouldn’t get you close to Laf. He’s an above average 1st overall pick, a likely franchise player, those guys basically never get traded unless it’s some sort of Lindros/Quebec “I won’t play here” situation.

 

[QJL]

A couple of plays Lafy made reminds me of Beliveau. Yes, I'm that old!

I wonder if our first (10th?) and Suzuki pries him from any team with a first round choice?

You could add Kotkaniemi and there still isn’t a team that touches the deal.

 

[HabsAddict]

10th + Suzuki wouldn’t get you close to Laf. He’s an above average 1st overall pick, a likely franchise player, those guys basically never get traded unless it’s some sort of Lindros/Quebec “I won’t play here” situation.

I know it won't be cheap. On the other hand, Suzuki is already in the NHL and having success at 20. Sixth in scoring for rookies. Obviously the theoretical "potential" of Laf is higher, but so is Suzuki as a likely Aho type player. A 10th first rounder has value too.

If the Habs are absolutely sure of his success, then add Caufield or any prospect not named Kk/Romanov/Poehling. Not that I'm a huge fan of them, but it makes no sense to devastate ones center depth or the dire need of LHD.

Last but not least......unless one is IN the NHL, a prospect always, always caries some risk.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I know it won't be cheap. On the other hand, Suzuki is already in the NHL and having success at 20. Sixth in scoring for rookies. Obviously the theoretical "potential" of Laf is higher, but so is Suzuki as a likely Aho type player. A 10th first rounder has value too.

If the Habs are absolutely sure of his success, then add Caufield or any prospect not named Kk/Romanov/Poehling. Not that I'm a huge fan of them, but it makes no sense to devastate ones center depth or the dire need of LHD.

Last but not least......unless one is IN the NHL, a prospect always, always caries some risk.

No GM is going to be the person that trades Lafreniere for quantity only to go on and watch him become the best winger in hockey....It just does not happen.

 

[canuck2010]

I know that this will come off as a hot take, but man, every time I watch Byfield play, I get a Benoit Pouliot vibe. I hope to hell that I am wrong, because it is evident that he has skills. If the Habs somehow get the 2nd pick in the draft, I would hope that if they decide to pick a center, that the choice would be Stutzle. But that is just me.

Thankfully there is still half a season to go. Nothing is set in stone at this point, other than it being clear that Lafrenière is the obvious #1.

Yeah I'm a big Byfield fan and I hope you are wrong. Needs to play with more aggression and anger in my opinion. He's cut out to play a big man's game and needs to be less passive.

 

[kingblue]

He should probably just rest for a few weeks so he doesn't f*** it up even more.

 

[pylon17]

Doesn't sound like it is a serious injury. No structural damage to the knee.

Glad to hear.

 

[ponder]

I know it won't be cheap. On the other hand, Suzuki is already in the NHL and having success at 20. Sixth in scoring for rookies. Obviously the theoretical "potential" of Laf is higher, but so is Suzuki as a likely Aho type player. A 10th first rounder has value too.

If the Habs are absolutely sure of his success, then add Caufield or any prospect not named Kk/Romanov/Poehling. Not that I'm a huge fan of them, but it makes no sense to devastate ones center depth or the dire need of LHD.

Last but not least......unless one is IN the NHL, a prospect always, always caries some risk.

Since the introduction of the salary cap ~15 years ago, no 1st overall picks have been traded. A young franchise player on a cheap rookie deal is so valuable in the cap era that it’s extremely hard to make a trade work.

Also, teams that draft 1st overall tend to be looking for a saviour, not 2-3 good players. A strong 1st overall pick like Laf, extremely exciting with legit superstar potential, is a godsend for a struggling franchise. A package like Suzuki, 10th overall and Caufield is tonnes of value, but a bottom feeder is simply going to want a truly special talent like Lafreniere more. As a prospect he’s on a pretty similar level to guys like Matthews and MacKinnon, a rebuilding team has no interest in letting a player like that go.

 

[ponder]

More positive news about the Laf injury (Lafreniere won't play against Germany, tournament status up in the air - Sportsnet.ca)

Lafreniere, who was hurt early in the second period, sat in the penalty box Sunday as his teammates went through their paces. He then got up and walked towards the locker room without any sign of a brace or limp.

"As a coach, we try to know if (Lafreniere) will play," Tourigny added. "(The doctor) didn’t say he will play, but he didn’t say he won’t."

Lafreniere is set to watch Canada’s game with Germany on Monday, but could be available Tuesday against the host Czech Republic or when the medal round starts Thursday.

"He’s smiling around the boys and making jokes," Tourigny said. "He’s pretty loose right now, so it’s a good sign."

Who knows if he actually returns this tourney, but him already walking around without a brace or a limp is great news.

 

[pylon17]

More positive news about the Laf injury (Lafreniere won't play against Germany, tournament status up in the air - Sportsnet.ca)

Who knows if he actually returns this tourney, but him already walking around without a brace or a limp is great news.

Nice.

 

[East Coast Icestyle]

Knowing literally nothing about this years draft, he plays wing, right?

How does he compare to previous first overall wings in terms of play and potential? (Hall, Kane)

 

[93LEAFS]

Knowing literally nothing about this years draft, he plays wing, right?

How does he compare to previous first overall wings in terms of play and potential? (Hall, Kane)

A very different player than Hall. Hall was just a monster in transition due to his speed and strength. Hall would generate a lot of chances just through sheer athleticism. Lafreniere has a higher hockey IQ and plays a more crafty game. He's closer in style to someone like Tavares than either Hall or Kane.

 

[East Coast Icestyle]

A very different player than Hall. Hall was just a monster in transition due to his speed and strength. Hall would generate a lot of chances just through sheer athleticism. Lafreniere has a higher hockey IQ and plays a more crafty game. He's closer in style to someone like Tavares than either Hall or Kane.

Does he have the same slower/weaker skating as Tavares? Do you consider him to be more of a goal scorer? (I see in his stats he seems to flip between that and an assist guy, but it is jrs)

 

[93LEAFS]

Does he have the same slower/weaker skating as Tavares? Do you consider him to be more of a goal scorer? (I see in his stats he seems to flip between that and an assist guy, but it is jrs)

His skating isn't a weakness, it's better than Tavares at the same age.

He's just a well rounded offensive player, which makes him a versatile piece. He's not a Matthews, Ovi, or Stamkos where his numbers are likely to be tilted in favor of goal scoring.

 

[Balthazar]

Does he have the same slower/weaker skating as Tavares? Do you consider him to be more of a goal scorer? (I see in his stats he seems to flip between that and an assist guy, but it is jrs)

He's a much better skater than Tavares was for sure. He's more physical too. He compares to Tavares in a sense that he's incredibly effective but won't "wow" you with speed and explosiveness as much as some other superstars.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Does he have the same slower/weaker skating as Tavares? Do you consider him to be more of a goal scorer? (I see in his stats he seems to flip between that and an assist guy, but it is jrs)

He's a very good shooter, but because of his excellent IQ and vision, he's at his best when he's passing. I think he'll be more of a passer than a shooter in the NHL. But he can still be a 30 goal guy, so...

 

[Fixxer]

His skating isn't a weakness, it's better than Tavares at the same age.

He's just a well rounded offensive player, which makes him a versatile piece. He's not a Matthews, Ovi, or Stamkos where his numbers are likely to be tilted in favor of goal scoring.

He's a much better skater than Tavares was for sure. He's more physical too. He compares to Tavares in a sense that he's incredibly effective but won't "wow" you with speed and explosiveness as much as some other superstars.

He's a very good shooter, but because of his excellent IQ and vision, he's at his best when he's passing. I think he'll be more of a passer than a shooter in the NHL. But he can still be a 30 goal guy, so...

While I have not seen much of Lafreniere, I would agree with all of the above. From what I have seen of him, this is accurate.
Also, stat watching, it's true that he won't "wow" you from the eye test but when you look at his stats, he has it going on.