The New York Rangers signed forward Alexis Lafreniere to his entry-level contract, the team announced Monday. It’s a standard three-year entry-level deal, carrying the maximum cap hit of $925,000.
Pen ➡️ Paper ➡️ #NYR.
It’s officially, officially official: Welcome to the family, Alexis Lafreniere! pic.twitter.com/zDyJOY5UQO
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 12, 2020
Alexis Lafreniere Signs Entry-Level Deal With New York Rangers
Lafreniere’s signing comes as no surprise after he was drafted first overall last week at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old left-winger will very likely make his NHL debut next season for the Blueshirts after three electric seasons with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic.
In the 2019-20 campaign, Lafreniere captained the Océanic. He led the entire QMJHL in scoring with 35 goals and 112 points in just 52 games. He suited up for the Canadian national team at the U20 World Junior Championships as well, scoring 10 points in just five outings en route to a gold medal.
Lafreniere’s entry-level deal is a two-way contract that pays $70,000 at the minor league level. That’s just a formality, as ‘Laffy’ is expected to make the Rangers out of training camp. Lafreniere is also eligible to earn up to $2,850,000 a season in performance bonuses. The possible total value of his deal is up to $11,325,000 over three seasons.
The Saint-Eustache, Quebec native joins a Rangers squad that features other young prospects such as Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Brett Howden, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin. Lafreniere’s selection, along with the departure of longtime netminder Henrik Lundqvist to the Washington Capitals, is reflective of the conclusion of New York’s rebuild. Their wing depth now looks awfully thick with Lafreniere, Kakko, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Pavel Buchnevich. Quality talent is beginning to seep back into all corners of the Rangers’ lineup. They now look towards making the 16-team edition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time with this young core.
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