Alexis Lafrenière was lucky enough to be drafted first overall by a team that was already brimming with talent. The problem is that he doesn’t get as much playing time as he would have in other places. His evolution is slower than expected, but it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a mainstay of the New York Rangers, a sort of Chris Kreider.
This is the opinion of Alexandre Pratt, guest on the podcast exit area of La Presse, Monday. It’s a likely solution based on Lafreniere’s work since the start of the playoffs.
Exit Zone, Season 3 | Episode 55: Who will make it to the final? https://t.co/wTtTzwegxm
– The Sports Press (@LaPresse_Sports) May 30, 2022
Pratt believes Lafreniere doesn’t currently have the right role to become a star player with New York.
“He’s behind Panarin and Kreider and these two guys have four more years left on their contract for Panarin and five years for Kreider. You know, at some point, you’re going to have to switch sides. You can’t have three guys playing on the same side or three wingers in one (formation) that are stuck like this – Alexandre Pratt on the podcast exit area from the press
The solution to making it develop faster: give it more playing time.
“In the last match, he still played fewer minutes than Kotkaniemi, who is not yet a Superstar honestly. He was lucky to go down with Rangers in the draft, who already had a good team, but if this guy played with a lower team, he would already be a star in the National League, he would play on the front row. – Alexandre Pratt on the podcast exit area from the press
Pratt goes on to explain that Lafrenière is playing well right now, so he’s making his back-row teammates look even better. Yeah, he’s not blowing the score against the Hurricanes, but he’s playing with his heart and running all over the floor. His linemates take advantage of this and earn points.
All podcast guests exit area de La Presse agreed; that Alexis Lafrenière will become a mainstay for Rangers for years to come. All he lacks are opportunities and time to grow.
Nicknamed Laffy, he has worked so well since the end of the season that he has earned praise from his coach, Gerard Gallant, who is not one to flatter anything that moves as Jean-François Chaumont of the Montreal Journal explained.
On the eve of Game 7 in Raleigh, Gerard Gallant paid Alexis Lafrenière a nice compliment.
“Laffy becomes a man” – Gallanthttps://t.co/XgGBqy7Mdd
— JF Chaumont (@JFCchaumontJDM) May 30, 2022
« Laffy [Lafrenière] it’s been good since January or February, Gallant noted. He reached another level. Laffy becomes a man. He also gets good results. He feels good with the way he plays and I can trust him. I also like the physical involvement of him. He has a very competitive spirit. He makes the right decisions with the puck. It’s a good sign for a young player. – Gerard Gallant on Alexis Lafrenière, after Game 6 between Rangers and Hurricanes
Of course, Lafrenière is not always on the score sheet after games, but his involvement is very present and pleasantly surprises the members of the Rangers.
He and his linemates need to keep the machine running in Game 7 against the Hurricanes on Monday night. If the Rangers win Monday night, it will be their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2015, when they lost in seven games to the Lightning.
A lot of
– A beautiful sunny day for ball hockey!
$200,435 raised, 232 participants, 50 volunteers, 22 teams, 7 @CHC Studentstwo @CanadiensMTL players and 2 pets: the perfect recipe for a successful 10th edition of our @HockeydeRue Tournament! 🏆
Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make sports more accessible! pic.twitter.com/qrEePSQTIb— Montreal Canadian Children’s Foundation (@CHCFoundation) May 30, 2022
– The new assistant coach of the Sags is only 23 years old!
Here is one who starts training very young / only 23 years old #lhjmq https://t.co/Rv3NVViHOG
— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) May 30, 2022
– Several talented star prospects are currently coming to the fore.
the@DallasStarswe have three very good young players who are dominant in the #CHL now. We talk about it in@hockey360around 6:40 p.m. pic.twitter.com/X7QAwbhREB
— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) May 30, 2022
– After an incredible race, Martin retires in style.
Russell Martin leaves the world of professional baseball with his head held high after making the most of what he could, with the talent and determination he possessed. 👏https://t.co/rvsltiqsvm pic.twitter.com/FQa9JYFGCP
—RDS (@RDSca) May 30, 2022
– The Alouettes’ receiving squad continues to improve.
Here’s a link to my latest story: Krishawn Hogan impresses in attempt to deeply break Alouettes receiving unit | Montreal Gazette https://t.co/Yi4L2EbiJl
—Herb Zurkowsky (@HerbZurkowsky1) May 30, 2022
#Alexis #Lafreniere #Future #Chris #Kreider