Lafreniere on the fourth line should be questioned

Alexis Lafreniere on the fourth line was a reality last night, as the Rangers blew a 4-1 lead en route to an OT loss in Edmonton. Lafreniere, like the rest of the offense, hasn’t had the best start to the season. However he hasn’t been the worst forward in the top nine. While putting Lafreniere on the fourth line is likely a short term, possibly even one time thing, it should be questioned.

It is less about performance and more about hypocrisy. One of the first things Gerard Gallant said upon his arrival in New York was that he doesn’t put top picks on the fourth line. He puts them in a chance to succeed. That was something he went back on last night. It’s also about his answer to Mollie Walker’s legitimate question following last night’s loss.

Now there is a human reaction here. Gallant is obviously upset his team blew a 4-1 lead and hasn’t looked good at all to start the season. That doesn’t excuse the immature response to a real question that calls out some things he said before the season started. It provides a reason. And we are all human. He’s in a position where he needs to be able to remove the emotions and provide a sound answer, even if it is something vague that doesn’t actually answer the question. Mollie is just doing her job, and asking why Lafreniere on the fourth line happened is part of it. Gallant, in this moment, failed at his.

This hasn’t been the best west coast trip. The Rangers have blown back to back leads in the third period, both leading to OT losses. On the one hand, the Rangers still came away with two points in two games. On the other hand, they should have come away with four points, not two.

We have been very adamant about Thanksgiving being the real beginning to what we will see from the Rangers this season. Everything until then is an adjustment to a new coach and new systems. That is still the cutoff, however things are trending in the wrong direction.

It’s never as bad as it seems at its worst, and never as good as it seems at its best.