Alexis Lafreniere and the Rangers Reach a Critical Point

[Phil]

3 minutes ago, Keirik said:

And honestly, outside of some team blowing us away with an offer, it’s exactly what we should do. I have a very hard time believing all scouts not only got this wrong, but got it so wrong that he’s barely an NHLer. Scouts may have over hyped him to be MacKinnon but they didn’t get it so wrong that it’s really McKegg. There has to be something in the middle there. 
 

o still think he gets a 500k or so higher version of Kakkos exact deal. 

 

Agree all around. Kakko's bridge, adjusted for inflation.

[Ozzy]

I'd give him one more year to see if he can turn goat piss into gasoline.  I'm reading these posts and no one's really "wrong" in here.  Up to this point it's looking like he's a total whiff on a #1 overall pick.

 

I'm with Keith though....how could all those scouts be so wrong???

 

That fucking scouting report I posted back a ways in this thread, gives me a chubby when I read it, and then I wonder if Luca Brazzi held a gun to the writer's head to publish that!

 

1 year - $2.5 million - If he stinks out the house again, deal him to the Habs...I want that Xhekaj kid anyway!

[Jdog99]

As hard as it is for me to believe that a slam dunk #1 pick could be a bust, I will say that Kakko's athleticism/skill stood out alot more even in year 1

[The Dude]

5 hours ago, RangersIn7 said:

Well that’s exactly my point.

 

Roll with this kid on a 2.5-3% deal for the next 2-3 seasons if you can.

 

Even if he’s just a 3rd line guy, you’re doing fine having him on your 3rd line. 
 

Take it. And see what happens.

Work with him. 
Help him get better. 
See what’s what.

I'd rather put Othmann in that 3rd line spot, because he will excel in it. If he doesn’t advance and force the coach to use him more. Oh well. He can succeed and be useful as a 3rd liner. Unlike Lafrenière, whom should be in the top 6, to get anything useful from him.

 

Othmann can PK, Othmann can play somewhat physical and pesky. Othmann can potentially score. Lafrenière can potentially......  I don't even know anymore.  He doesn't do anything exceptionally well,  and most certainly isn't a prototypical 3rd liner. 

 

Lafrenière blocks Othmann and I'd much rather go through Othmanns growing pains as a rookie than watch Lafrenière continue to underwhelm in year 4. If he's just a 3rd liner, I don't want him here. He doesn't fit. 

[Pete]

This kid doesn't have it. I waited for Malhotra to be more than a 4th liner, too. 

 

Then he made a long and successful career out of being a 4th liner. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Pete

[siddious]

13 minutes ago, Pete said:

This kid doesn't have it. I waited for Malhotra to be more than a 4th liner, too. 

 

Then he made a long and successful career out of being a 4th liner. 

At this rate I don’t know if Laf is even a 4th liner. 

[jsm7302]

58 minutes ago, Pete said:

This kid doesn't have it. I waited for Malhotra to be more than a 4th liner, too. 

 

Then he made a long and successful career out of being a 4th liner. 

As much as it sucks for us as fans, think of his mentality right now. The kid dominated coming up and essentially sucks in the NHL. That has gotta be a tough mental hurdle to deal with.

[The Dude]

45 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

As much as it sucks for us as fans, think of his mentality right now. The kid dominated coming up and essentially sucks in the NHL. That has gotta be a tough mental hurdle to deal with.

He's having a grand ol' time. He's oblivious. 

[SaveByRichter35]

I mean, he could also just be enjoying the fact that he is playing in the NHL, even if he isn't playing well.

[Keirik]

2 hours ago, The Dude said:

He's having a grand ol' time. He's oblivious. 

This narrative needs to stop without actual proof. Show me quotes, real proof, receipts from him that say he’s loving life in the NHL and thinks his game is going perfectly, not jumping to conclusions because you saw him smile or saw him bite his chin strap. 

[The Dude]

4 hours ago, Keirik said:

This narrative needs to stop without actual proof. Show me quotes, real proof, receipts from him that say he’s loving life in the NHL and thinks his game is going perfectly, not jumping to conclusions because you saw him smile or saw him bite his chin strap. 

No. It doesn't have to stop.

 

Uhhh? The chin strap mustache incident? 

 

Seriously? It doesn't stop after that. That's forever license to point at immaturity and a lack of focus. 

 

Read his body language.  Watch his interactions on the bench and on the ice. These aren't random smiles. These are actions of a player who isn't taking his struggles to heart. 

 

[Gravesy]

I think the idea that he doesn't take things seriously and isn't putting in the work is complete fantasy tbh.

You can accuse the Rangers of many things, babying their high draft picks is not one of them. If he was goofing around and coasting through practices you'd have known about it for a long time now. That shit wouldn't have flown with David Quinn, and certainly won't fly with Gerry Gallant or his teammates either. If that was the case he'd be scratched on numerous occasions. It would also have been reported on extensively by now. I just don't buy it. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Gravesy

[Pete]

12 minutes ago, Gravesy said:

I think the idea that he doesn't take things seriously and isn't putting in the work is complete fantasy tbh.

You can accuse the Rangers of many things, babying their high draft picks is not one of them. If he was goofing around and coasting through practices you'd have known about it for a long time now. That shit wouldn't have flown with David Quinn, and certainly won't fly with Gerry Gallant or his teammates either. If that was the case he'd be scratched on numerous occasions. It would also have been reported on extensively by now. I just don't buy it. 

I don't think it's fantasy at all and it's got nothing to do with putting in work and everything to do with demeanor. 

 

There's a very clear difference between the footage and story of Kakko after a massive fuck up, vs Lafreniere. Not saying looking like you're going to eat a cyanide pill like Kakko is the "right" way, but there's a clear difference. 

 

There's no stories of anyone going over to Laffy after he takes out his own man in OT because he's beating himself up about it.

 

And there's plenty of footage (shot candidly) all over Rangers social of Lafreniere looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. 

 

I don't mind anyone being loose, but my God act at some point like you give a shit. 

 

Also very telling they've been sheltering him from the media. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Pete

[Gravesy]

16 minutes ago, Pete said:

I don't think it's fantasy at all and it's got nothing to do with putting in work and everything to do with demeanor. 

 

There's a very clear difference between the footage and story of Kakko after a massive fuck up, vs Lafreniere. Not saying looking like you're going to eat a cyanide pill like Kakko is the "right" way, but there's a clear difference. 

 

There's no stories of anyone going over to Laffy after he takes out his own man in OT because he's beating himself up about it.

 

And there's plenty of footage (shot candidly) all over Rangers social of Lafreniere looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. 

 

I don't mind anyone being loose, but my God act at some point like you give a shit. 

 

Also very telling they've been sheltering him from the media.

If the point is we don't like his demeanor that's fine.

The narrative is about much more than how he looks after a fuck up though. It's him being lazy, not putting in the work and not taking it seriously.

And I don't buy that narrative.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Gravesy

[RangersIn7]

2 hours ago, Gravesy said:

I think the idea that he doesn't take things seriously and isn't putting in the work is complete fantasy tbh.

You can accuse the Rangers of many things, babying their high draft picks is not one of them. If he was goofing around and coasting through practices you'd have known about it for a long time now. That shit wouldn't have flown with David Quinn, and certainly won't fly with Gerry Gallant or his teammates either. If that was the case he'd be scratched on numerous occasions. It would also have been reported on extensively by now. I just don't buy it. 

 

1 hour ago, Gravesy said:

If the point is we don't like his demeanor that's fine.

The narrative is about much more than how he looks after a fuck up though. It's him being lazy, not putting in the work and not taking it seriously.

And I don't buy that narrative.

My feeling as well. When players have the issues you’re mentioning, it’s exceedingly hard for the press, fanbase, and general public not to get wind of it.

Point being, if that were an issue, we would almost certainly know about it. 

[Pete]

15 minutes ago, RangersIn7 said:

 

My feeling as well. When players have the issues you’re mentioning, it’s exceedingly hard for the press, fanbase, and general public not to get wind of it.

Point being, if that were an issue, we would almost certainly know about it. 

Nah. You find out after they're moved. Like no one knew JT Miller had a temper problem until after they traded him. 

[Pete]

2 hours ago, Gravesy said:

If the point is we don't like his demeanor that's fine.

The narrative is about much more than how he looks after a fuck up though. It's him being lazy, not putting in the work and not taking it seriously.

And I don't buy that narrative.

Yea, the bolded I'm not sure about. But I don't think (judging by what we see and results on the ice) that he takes it seriously enough. 

[RangersIn7]

Just now, Pete said:

Nah. You find out after they're moved. Like no one knew JT Miller had a temper problem until after they traded him. 

I’d say it’s more exception than rule though. But I’ll give that to you on Miller. 

[RangersIn7]

Just now, Pete said:

Yea, the bolded I'm not sure about. But I don't think (judging by what we see and results on the ice) that he takes it seriously enough. 

Could be a maturity issue. 
I can live with that as he grows and hopefully he grows out of it if that’s the case. 

[Phil]

13 hours ago, siddious said:

At this rate I don’t know if Laf is even a 4th liner. 

 

He is. He's a third liner. He's probably going to be a consistent 30–40 point player.

 

I shared a tweet from Rob Luker that analyzed his first three years and drew comparisons to Mikkel Boedker, Pavel Zacha, Lawson Crouse, and Sven Baertschi.

[Sharpshooter]

That makes me sad, but is probably accurate. lol

[Cash or Czech]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

 

He is. He's a third liner. He's probably going to be a consistent 30–40 point player.

 

I shared a tweet from Rob Luker that analyzed his first three years and drew comparisons to Mikkel Boedker, Pavel Zacha, Lawson Crouse, and Sven Baertschi.

 

It's a real shame it took Zacha a change of scenery to get going. On pace to smash his career high of 36 points, trending 54 alongside Krejci and Pasta.

[Phil]

Right, but he might also be a prime example of what to expect for Laf's career. Traditional 35~ point player who booms once or twice for maybe 50~

[RangersIn7]

11 minutes ago, Phil said:

Right, but he might also be a prime example of what to expect for Laf's career. Traditional 35~ point player who booms once or twice for maybe 50~

Buddy… it’s possible.

 

But we actually aren’t there yet.

And probably further away from that than most believe we are.

[Keirik]

6 hours ago, The Dude said:

No. It doesn't have to stop.

 

Uhhh? The chin strap mustache incident? 

 

Seriously? It doesn't stop after that. That's forever license to point at immaturity and a lack of focus. 

 

Read his body language.  Watch his interactions on the bench and on the ice. These aren't random smiles. These are actions of a player who isn't taking his struggles to heart. 

 

So in other words, you have nothing tangible to say he’s “oblivious” to how he’s playing and that he isn’t taking this to heart. Gotcha. Okay. Keep the false narrative going.