Time for a Lafreniere Reset

[The Dude]

I've shot on Lafreniere for most of the season.  But he's finally showing some signs of being a player that can do things on his own. He's definitely holding the puck longer and making some high skill decisions with it instead of treating the puck like a grenade. More one on one play, more high quality shots. Hopefully he's turning that corner. 

[RangersIn7]

14 hours ago, The Dude said:

I've shot on Lafreniere for most of the season.  But he's finally showing some signs of being a player that can do things on his own. He's definitely holding the puck longer and making some high skill decisions with it instead of treating the puck like a grenade. More one on one play, more high quality shots. Hopefully he's turning that corner. 

It was always going to take a bit longer I think with him, cause he was always unlikely to get big minutes.

[josh]

Hopefully this doesn’t divide the lockerroom or hinder the recent growth we’ve seen.

 

or maybe it explains why Fox hasn’t been the same, recently 

 

 

[Ozzy]

Oh Man!!  Yukon's gonna be pissed!!

 

He may pull a Will Smith on Fox!!  LOL

[jsm7302]

16 minutes ago, josh said:

Hopefully this doesn’t divide the lockerroom or hinder the recent growth we’ve seen.

 

or maybe it explains why Fox hasn’t been the same, recently 

 

 

Someone tell Foxy April fools day is tomorrow. SMH

[The Dude]

3 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Oh Man!!  Yukon's gonna be pissed!!

 

He may pull a Will Smith on Fox!!  LOL

Don't Canadians swear by Tim Hortons though? Probably makes comparisons every day. 

[-ERIK-]

On 12/13/2021 at 4:07 PM, Morphinity said:

Show us SOMETHING! 

 

On 12/16/2021 at 8:20 AM, Sharpshooter said:

His best stickhandling comes when he's dumping the puck. lol

 

On 12/28/2021 at 2:23 AM, Sod16 said:

Do you ever find yourself saying, "Wow, the kid's got speed, or vision, or touch.  He'll be good when he puts it to more use."   The answer is "no."  That's the eye test, and he's not passing it, whether his stats look good, bad or somewhere in the middle.  

 

On 12/28/2021 at 10:56 AM, Morphinity said:

What's wrong with wanting to see him display, at any point, any semblance of skill that got him drafted 1OA? How can you look at Laf's body of work and say "Wow, this kid really is a future star in this league" like you can with many of his peers that have also played in the NHL? Stutzle, Raymond, Mercer - they've all showed glimpses of elite talent that put them in that echelon. 

Well it took a while but there it was ,guess he does some have some high end skill.

[Ozzy]

...Literally jumped outta my chair when he pulled off that move!!  This kid is the real deal...just gonna take a little longer....and some patience.  I'm still on board.

[Morphinity 2.0]

21 hours ago, br-avery said:

 

 

 

Well it took a while but there it was ,guess he does some have some high end skill.

Bro you're seriously gonna pull receipts? It's not like he earned the benefit of the doubt over the course of either of his two seasons. Hell he was healthy'd literally one game ago!

[Ozzy]

25 minutes ago, Morphinity said:

Bro you're seriously gonna pull receipts? It's not like he earned the benefit of the doubt over the course of either of his two seasons. Hell he was healthy'd literally one game ago!

 

I can't wait to see that Laffy move on the NHL Now Highlight reel, Morph!! 

 

I'm so sick of seeing that one of McJesus walking through our team and beating Georgiev like a rented mule!!  LOL

[BrooksBurner]

The best part of Lafreniere’s highlight reel goal wasn’t even the move or the goal. It was the nonchalant reaction after that says “I expect this of myself and it’s nothing I can’t do again”. It exudes confidence. I’m not sure why he hasn’t displayed this level of fancy puck skills up until now. Maybe he was just too timid to try, but he never struck me as the type of player who was afraid to hold back because he’s always had the swagger. Whatever it was, whether it was the benching, or the “4th line assignment” if you want to call it that, or a switch just randomly flipped to “fuck it”, I hope it sticks. We’ve said this before, but then he goes quiet and invisible for 5 games.

[LindG1000]

Just now, rmc51 said:

The best part of Lafreniere’s highlight reel goal wasn’t even the move or the goal. It was the nonchalant reaction after that says “I expect this of myself and it’s nothing I can’t do again”. It exudes confidence. I’m not sure why he hasn’t displayed this level of fancy puck skills up until now. Maybe he was just too timid to try, but he never struck me as the type of player who was afraid to hold back because he’s always had the swagger. Whatever it was, whether it was the benching, or the “4th line assignment” if you want to call it that, or a switch just randomly flipped to “fuck it”, I hope it sticks. We’ve said this before, but then he goes quiet and invisible for 5 games.

 

I'd rather see it in flashes than not see it at all. Eventually, hopefully, it becomes the norm.

[Ozzy]

If you build it.... 

 

I'm thinking this is the very tip of the iceberg with Laff.  These are the types of plays that may help him shake that deer in the headlights feeling.  I've noticed him shooting more of late, and also getting more scoring chances.

[Cash or Czech]

Tied for fourth on the team in goals. Tied for second in even strength goals. The points, especially the assists, aren't there. But I think this season isn't a failure. He's actually scoring at a slower points/gp than his rookie season. Goals/gp are only up a little (.232 v .214). It's a combination of a bunch of things. He needs to use his teammates and play as a line more. But he also needs better and more consistent linemates. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Rabble rabble rabble

Edited April 18, 2022 by Cash or Czech

[Ozzy]

2 minutes ago, Cash or Czech said:

Tied for fourth on the team in goals. Tied for second in even strength goals. The points, especially the assists, aren't there. But I think this season isn't a failure. He's actually scoring at a slower points/gp than his rookie season. Goals/gp are only up a little (.232 v .214). It's a combination of a bunch of things. He needs to use his teammates and play as a line more. But he also needs better and more consistent linemates. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Rabble rabble rabble

 

He played a bunch of games with Gauthier, and even though I don't usually blame linemates, I'd think even fucking Gretzky couldn't help Gauthier score a goal.

 

Laff's going to be just fine...My ballsy prediction is that he's going to have a fantastic playoff run, scoring some really big goals for us along the way.

 

[RangersIn7]

3 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Tied for fourth on the team in goals. Tied for second in even strength goals. The points, especially the assists, aren't there. But I think this season isn't a failure. He's actually scoring at a slower points/gp than his rookie season. Goals/gp are only up a little (.232 v .214). It's a combination of a bunch of things. He needs to use his teammates and play as a line more. But he also needs better and more consistent linemates. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Rabble rabble rabble

He’s not consistently playing with anyone worth his salt offensively.

 

Thats the problem

 

Hes fine

[RJWantsTheCup]

17 hours ago, Ozzy said:

...Literally jumped outta my chair when he pulled off that move!!  This kid is the real deal...just gonna take a little longer....and some patience.  I'm still on board.

Did Doughnut Boy score a nice goal?

[RichieNextel305]

He’s 20, and in a season that will be a downer by several standards, he’s going to score either 20 or a tick under 20, all likely at ES.

 

I believe in the kid. He has to be more consistent, sure. But again, he’s a kid. Not everyone walks in and lights the league on fire. At the end of the day, we just need to be patient. He has had his kicks at the can with just about everyone in this lineup. There’s a reason we’ve seen him bounce around. Some of it can be even contributed to the level of success this team has had. He hasn’t gotten PP time because this unique situation where a #1 overall winds up on a good team, and he is currently behind others on the depth chart.
 

I’m willing to be patient. He’s in good hands learning from good veterans and this seems to be a good room. If he can score nearly 20 in a down year at the age of 20 while still learning, I’m excited to see the payout when he hits the ground running.

[Ozzy]

How long did we wait for Kreider to be "consistent"?  LOL

I think we can give this kid the benefit of the doubt for a little bit, no? 

[The Dude]

5 hours ago, rmc51 said:

The best part of Lafreniere’s highlight reel goal wasn’t even the move or the goal. It was the nonchalant reaction after that says “I expect this of myself and it’s nothing I can’t do again”. It exudes confidence. I’m not sure why he hasn’t displayed this level of fancy puck skills up until now. Maybe he was just too timid to try, but he never struck me as the type of player who was afraid to hold back because he’s always had the swagger. Whatever it was, whether it was the benching, or the “4th line assignment” if you want to call it that, or a switch just randomly flipped to “fuck it”, I hope it sticks. We’ve said this before, but then he goes quiet and invisible for 5 games.

It was a sweet goal. But... I mean. Like...... 

 

It was the first we've ever seen anything like that from him. I'm not expecting more of that. Let's not act like he's arrived as St Fatso. Saint of beautiful goals. I'm treating it as "Every dog has its day". Nobody. Nothing... has been holding him back but himself. He's definitely improved and his numbers are a bit more respectable compared to last year and the first 1/2 of this season. 

 

The Rangers seriously need this cat to be legit. My confidence in him has risen. But I'm not up there with thinking he has broke out and his stardom is around the corner. Right now, he doesn't suck and isn't a total bust. I expected more by now. We'll see.

[RangersIn7]

25 minutes ago, The Dude said:

It was a sweet goal. But... I mean. Like...... 

 

It was the first we've ever seen anything like that from him. I'm not expecting more of that. Let's not act like he's arrived as St Fatso. Saint of beautiful goals. I'm treating it as "Every dog has its day". Nobody. Nothing... has been holding him back but himself. He's definitely improved and his numbers are a bit more respectable compared to last year and the first 1/2 of this season. 

 

The Rangers seriously need this cat to be legit. My confidence in him has risen. But I'm not up there with thinking he has broke out and his stardom is around the corner. Right now, he doesn't suck and isn't a total bust. I expected more by now. We'll see.

It’s all a result of him

playing 13-14 minutes a night vs 18-20 minutes a night.

Playing with top-6 talent, vs playing with bottom-6 talent.

Getting time on the PP vs not getting time on the PP. 

 

All of which is understandable on this team, but you better understand it. 
 

Middling numbers for a middling option. 

[The Dude]

10 minutes ago, RangersIn7 said:

It’s all a result of him

playing 13-14 minutes a night vs 18-20 minutes a night.

Playing with top-6 talent, vs playing with bottom-6 talent.

Getting time on the PP vs not getting time on the PP. 

 

All of which is understandable on this team, but you better understand it. 
 

Middling numbers for a middling option. 

I better understand it?

 

Please re read my response to you in the "reports from the rink" thread from the last lecture you tried to pass off onto me.

 

He's had more opportunities than any player and any prospect.  He did very little to gain more opportunities.  He's played on the top lines on many occasions. So, can we stop with this excuse?,

 

One would think he's had easy assignments playing against lesser players while in the 3rd line. Plenty of ways to take over and be the stud he is supposed to be when given that spot. Op

 

The kid was just a healthy scratch! Did his linemates earn that for him too?  

 

He's supposed to be better. And I'm here saying that he has improved this year and especially recently. But I better understand your excuses as facts? Nah man. 

 

[-ERIK-]

9 hours ago, Morphinity said:

Bro you're seriously gonna pull receipts? It's not like he earned the benefit of the doubt over the course of either of his two seasons. Hell he was healthy'd literally one game ago!

All in good fun, we could all pull receipts on each other a lot

We should be stoked he responded with a great game and showed some glimpses of a real nice skill set.Maybe he can pull some more stuff like this when he's more comfortable and confident.

Good to see regardless.

[-ERIK-]

53 minutes ago, The Dude said:

I better understand it?

 

Please re read my response to you in the "reports from the rink" thread from the last lecture you tried to pass off onto me.

 

He's had more opportunities than any player and any prospect.  He did very little to gain more opportunities.  He's played on the top lines on many occasions. So, can we stop with this excuse?,

 

One would think he's had easy assignments playing against lesser players while in the 3rd line. Plenty of ways to take over and be the stud he is supposed to be when given that spot. Op

 

The kid was just a healthy scratch! Did his linemates earn that for him too?  

 

He's supposed to be better. And I'm here saying that he has improved this year and especially recently. But I better understand your excuses as facts? Nah man. 

 

what prospects?On our team?

Whether we think he's earned it or not he gets a pretty low amount of ice time

Stutzte gets 18 a game and plays on top PP

Even Hughes his second year got 19 mins a game

[RangersIn7]

1 hour ago, The Dude said:

I better understand it?

 

Please re read my response to you in the "reports from the rink" thread from the last lecture you tried to pass off onto me.

 

He's had more opportunities than any player and any prospect.  He did very little to gain more opportunities.  He's played on the top lines on many occasions. So, can we stop with this excuse?,

 

One would think he's had easy assignments playing against lesser players while in the 3rd line. Plenty of ways to take over and be the stud he is supposed to be when given that spot. Op

 

The kid was just a healthy scratch! Did his linemates earn that for him too?  

 

He's supposed to be better. And I'm here saying that he has improved this year and especially recently. But I better understand your excuses as facts? Nah man. 

 

I think you misread that one man.

Just saying… it’s a general you. Not a specific one. 
 

But if we’re discussing it… fine.

 

 

Lets talks about top of the draft prospects as they enter the NHL.

 

They don’t play on contending teams typically. They don’t play on the 3rd line. They don’t play with bottom-6 players. They don’t play 13:54 a night. 
They don’t get denied PP time. 
 

You’re saying you want more.

Yeah. Me too. I get it. 
Look at the why. 
 

He’s developing under very different circumstances than one normally would as a 1OVA. 
 

That said… he absolutely has stuff to work on too. 
 

Slow your roll. 
 

He’s fine.