Welcome to an off-season segment for your New York Rangers! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement to say the least. It is summer time for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at an Alexis Lafreniere off-season grade. Check out other New York Rangers offseason grades.
Report Card: Alexis Lafreniere
Ahh what a fun time it was in the 2020 Draft lottery. New York ended up winning the rights to select Lafreniere, leap frogging Los Angeles and Ottawa. There is no player on this Rangers roster to be more critical of than Alexis Lafreniere. That is what makes this New York Rangers offseason grade challenging. You can make an argument he is not living up to the hype of his draft status. Or you can say that he is doing his part on a deep-contending hockey team. Both can be true. It honestly depends how you look at it. But based on the current roster construction, there is no room for him in a top six role. But he has done well as the third line winger. However, taking a dive into this season, Lafreniere showed strides in his game which is comforting going forward.
The Season
#NYR 5v5 goals over the last 2 seasons:
1. Kreider (39 in 2071 minutes)
2. Panarin (32 in 2360 minutes)
3. Lafreniere (30 in 2060 minutes)These are the only 3 Rangers skaters with 30+ 5v5 goals in the last 2 seasons.
— David Shapiro (@BlueSeatBlogs) May 17, 2023
This is the best season that Lafreniere has had since being on Broadway. Lafreniere went on to have a career season this year. Last season he set a career high in goals (19), but this was about the points. He set a career high in points (39), while lighting the lamp sixteen times. On great stat going off his goal totals, is that 12 of them came at 5v5. In fact, over the last two seasons Lafreniere ranks third in total goals at 5v5 among all Rangers skaters. Only Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin are ahead of him. From an individual standpoint, he ranked eighth in ixG (14.91). He went on to thrive in the high-danger area generating 75 attempts from the area. Here is where Lafreniere ranked among his team:
Corsi For: 7th (54.97)
XGoals: 7th (55.44)
HDCF: 11th (51.91)
HDGoals: 32
Lafreniere showed promise and flashes in his game. He even finished eighth with 32 takeaways and showed flashes defensively. Primarily playing on the third line, he made the most of his opportunities.
The Playoffs
This is where the New York Rangers offseason grade takes a dive. If you are Alexis Lafreniere, this is a series you want to forget. Not just because of the early exit, but because of the performance. It was an underwhelming series for a lot of players on this roster. But for Lafreniere this one was extremely underwhelming. After a promising regular season of success, he followed that up with a pointless postseason. In seven games against the New Jersey Devils, he was one of three skaters to not register a single point. In addition, he only generated 9 shots on goal. Overall, a very underwhelming performance.
The Verdict
"I want to play in the top 6. That's my goal."
– Alexis Lafrenière pic.twitter.com/TIWYTT9ahe
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) June 13, 2022
This New York Rangers offseason grade is challenging. You see the potential there and know he has the tools to being a good player. Many say that he would thrive in another market or another team. Not to mention, more opportunity for him. This is a guy who could thrive in a bigger role, but roster construction complicates that. Some other coach can tap further into his potential. His regular season was strong, but his playoff performance bumps him down a notch. His future with the club does remain to be seen. Lafreniere is a pending RFA and is in need of a new contract. There has been buzz surrounding his future due to cap space.
Grade: C+
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
