Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Fans have overreacted to Alexis Lafreniere’s early season struggles and have essentially ignored how good he’s been recently. In fact, Lafreniere is a lot better than many make him out to be and is not only deserving of his spot and contract, but should continue to grow under a top-three coach in the NHL.
It’s no secret that Lafreniere (and Will Cuylle, among others) looked lost to start the season. The Rangers were adjusting to a new system and doing it without a top-six center. The team didn’t play with a full roster until Monday’s win over Nashville, so everyone had to adjust while also shorthanded.
Lafreniere’s 3-8-11 line to start the season is third on the team in points, behind only Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. But what’s surprising is this goes far beyond normal counting stats and newer possession stats.
It’s a little too early for possession numbers to have true meaning, but it does give us a little bit of a deeper dive into Lafreniere’s play. What’s a pleasure to see is Lafreniere’s offensive play driving and defensive play suppression numbers are very good, suggesting the 24-year-old Lafreniere is a lot better than some of the complaints may suggest. The powerplay chances are there too, but they just haven’t wound up in the back of the net consistently…yet.
Stating Lafreniere is a lot better than a lot of the hate he gets is fairly obvious, after all you just need to look at the numbers. The arguments against are mostly focused on two things: He’s not a generational talent or he’s an empty calorie scorer. The former is true and there’s nothing Lafreniere can do about that and nor is it his fault the hype machine got out of control. The latter is proven untrue just by watching him play and continue to learn under Mike Sullivan.
Using one game samples is often a fool’s errand, but Monday night’s win was a prime example of how Lafreniere has improved as the season went on. His powerplay goal and two assists helped blow the game open for a desperate Rangers team that needed a win and some goals on home ice. It’s one instance of Lafreniere starting to take a more of an active role in driving play.
If you’re not a numbers guy, then you can simply watch what else he’s done. Lafreniere is a lot better than many have made him out to be. Beyond the points, he was instrumental in Vlad Gavrikov’s goal, doing a fly-by on Juuse Saros to screen him just as Gavrikov took his shot. He was much more assertive, attacking open ice and creating space for others. These are things that don’t necessarily show up on the score sheet, but drive offense. The screen was reminiscent of one Chris Kreider as well.
Much like Kreider, the hate Lafreniere receives is often overblown. There is some intense bias because Lafreniere, a first overall pick, wasn’t the generational talent that the Rangers hype machine made him out to be. But Lafreniere is a lot better than many haters are willing to admit. He’s a solid top-six forward who will pick up his scoring pace now that the Rangers have a complete lineup. It’s still early enough in the season where one streak–good or bad–can skew totals. Just look at Taylor Raddysh or, for those who have been around for a while, Aaron Voros.
Lafreniere is also just 24 years old and, for the first time in his career, has a coach that is not only invested in his growth and development, but putting him in a position to succeed. This means significant time on the top powerplay unit, something that will eventually lead to sexier raw point totals. Lafreniere is a lot better than the narrative may suggest, and perhaps it’s time to accept he’s a top-six forward, just not at the Connor McDavid level.
More About: Players