The jury is officially in: Alexis Lafreniere is a complete bust

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

I still don't think so. He's played LW his entire career, on the Rangers he's stuck behind Bread and Kreider, that won't change because they're both there long term. This year is really the first time he's ever had a chance at a top 6 role and it's on his off-side, that's not an easy shift to make, especially at the NHL level for a 22 year old kid.

Yes this is a lot of time spent making excuses, but like.. what else is he supposed to do. Some ppl are saying that he should be outplaying Panarin or Kreider as a 19-22 year old... please.

I think of Laf as a 1st overall pick who's gotten late first round opportunity. Given the situation his development hasn't been unexpectedly terrible, it's just been a really bad situation for him. More importantly, no easy solution because the Rangers are / have been win-now, they're not going to give reps to some kid just so they can be a worse team with Panarin or Kreider out of their top six.

***

All that to say, 100% agree that a trade clearly would make sense. I'd take him on the coyotes in half a second, stick him with one of your top development centers (in this case, Cooley) for at least 10-15 games and see what Laf can do with actual opportunity on his preferred side. Pretty sure every rebuilding team would do the same thing wrt Laf's development

really? i'd gladly give you 13 for maccelli in a heartbeat. if not i'll even settle for carcone.

 

[PainForShane]

Playing off-side for a winger is really not a big deal.

depends on the winger. Not even close to reasonable to expect a 22yo to be able to switch sides without some initial period of adjustment

 

[bossram]

Eh aren't the reports out of New York so far this season that Laf has actually looked good on his line with Chytil and Panarin? He's created some chances, but that line has been snake bit. He also had some points taken back due to disallowed goals IIRC.

 

[PainForShane]

really? i'd gladly give you 13 for maccelli in a heartbeat. if not i'll even settle for carcone.

Carcone in less time than it took to write this post. Done.

In all seriousness I'd give you a good but not elite prospect for him, like a deal based around someone like Conor Geekie (who I think is an inarguably better asset than Carcone, but if you want Carcone then have at him). Do you think that would actually be enough to get something done?

 

[hawksrule]

depends on the winger. Not even close to reasonable to expect a 22yo to be able to switch sides without some initial period of adjustment

It’s not bubble hockey where they’re playing back and forth in a straight line. It’s really not a big deal like it is for defensemen.

 

[Mattilaus]

NGL, Buffalo are not the best team at developing players. They have had too many great draft pick to be that bad and missing the playoff for so long.

Eichel's development seems to have worked out well for vegas

 

[LevelingSolo]

Incoming 3 point night

 

[PainForShane]

It’s not bubble hockey where they’re playing back and forth in a straight line. It’s really not a big deal like it is for defensemen.

It's exactly the same as it is for defenseman, the ice looks completely different when you're coming at it from the complete opposite direction. Weird take

 

[EdJovanovski]

And Kakko may be even worse.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Eh aren't the reports out of New York so far this season that Laf has actually looked good on his line with Chytil and Panarin? He's created some chances, but that line has been snake bit. He also had some points taken back due to disallowed goals IIRC.

No not at all, he's been invisible to bad. Panarin looks really good to start the season, he's carrying that line on his back. Carrying the puck into the zone consistently, setting up plays and generating his own shots.

 

[TGWL]

Eh aren't the reports out of New York so far this season that Laf has actually looked good on his line with Chytil and Panarin? He's created some chances, but that line has been snake bit. He also had some points taken back due to disallowed goals IIRC.

He looked terrible in preseason. He looked like a perfect fit on that line in game 1, had some ok plays in game 2 and then has been Laf for games 3 and 4. Again, it's not so much the points that fans are concerned with. It's the constant costing. Getting lost on plays. Turning the puck over. I could go on but this isn't the thread for it. In the first game he was moving his feet, but Panarin and Chytil were also rolling so it makes it easier.

 

[Love]

You... don't think Lafreniere is getting criticism? What do you think people would be doing if he were Russian? March with torches in the street, calling for his head?

I don’t recall saying Lafreniere isn’t getting criticism. If you could point me to my post where I said that I could maybe provide a more thoughtful response.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Are they waiting until he's 27 to move him?

#FreeLafreniere

 

[Breakers]

I still feel like Vancouver is going to offer some ridiculous package for him and regret it instantly like we do with pretty much all of our trades.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

He is far from that bad. To be honest he is better than at least half the league.

He's a NHLer in the sense that he's one of the best 384 forwards (32 teams x 12 starting forwards) in the world today.

But lmao no, he's not better than half the league. He's incredibly low on that list of 384 IMO.

 

[EdJovanovski]

I still feel like Vancouver is going to offer some ridiculous package for him and regret it instantly like we do with pretty much all of our trades.

Kravtsov’s coming home!

 

[Romang67]

I don’t recall saying Lafreniere isn’t getting criticism. If you could point me to my post where I said that I could maybe provide a more thoughtful response.

That's why I followed it up by asking just how much the player who is currently being labeled one of the worst 1st overall busts in NHL history would be getting if he were Russian. It seemed more likely to me that you had somehow missed that people are indeed criticizing Lafreniere than that you'd be sitting there thinking that a Russian would be considered worse than the worst 1st overall pick ever if he performed like Lafreniere.

It's even more bizarre because people are currently, in this thread, comparing the Russian 1st overall bust Yakupov favorably to Lafreniere.

 

[The Real JT]

He is far from that bad. To be honest he is better than at least half the league.

The AHL?

 

[RRhoads]

Points... 7 to 41 to 60.

Not comparable at all.

You are missing the point. The league is riddled with players who had slow starts to their careers. The point is that it is way too early to write him off.

These kind of posts need to stop. By Thornton's 3rd season, he was a 60 point forward during the middle of the dead puck era. Last year was one of the highest-scoring seasons in the past 25 years and Lafreniere couldn't even crank out a measly 40.

Writing 21 year olds who score 39 points off as busts needs to stop as well. That was the point.

 

[Voight]

Said from the start he was way too overhyped. Some people fell for the ruse ands thought he was going to be a star but I'm sure I'm not the only one who knew he would fail.

 

[Number8]

He buzzed and zipped randomly around the rink, creating confusion and vertigo for the other team!

See that's why context is so important. When the scouts said "a dizzying talent" they didn't mean exactly what the NYR's though they meant.

 

[Reality Czech]

Considering the Rangers didn't even deserve to win the lottery that year, I'd say this is a fair outcome.

 

[Voight]

Joe Thornton scored 71 points in his 4th season. Laf is now in his 4th season, do you think he's scoring 70 points this year?

This + Pat Burns hated Thornton for whatever reason and refused to give him opportunity.

Its not a coincidence he broke out after Burns was fired.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

No not at all, he's been invisible to bad. Panarin looks really good to start the season, he's carrying that line on his back. Carrying the puck into the zone consistently, setting up plays and generating his own shots.

yep. something that we expected 13 to do often since the day we drafted him. but

he

just

can't

 

[Chardo]

Just the hockey gods rectifying their lottery mistake.