Rangers RFA Lafreniere Confident New Deal Will Come Soon

[RangersIn7]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

 

We can't say with certainty if he has or hasn't, but his conditioning and dedication has been openly questioned by Arthur Staple and Stephen Valiquette on multiple occasions.

Also true.

 

But no one is there, nor have they offered specifics

 

Who knows?

 

October tells the tale.

[RangersIn7]

TBH, Phil, I wasn’t sure what timeframe to which they were referring regarding that. 
 

They meant previously?

Or just then?

It kind of didn’t make full sense, or it seemed out of place, or poorly timed.

 

IDK.

It just felt like a blanket statement. Not necessarily related to any one or even recent practice. 
 

Having said that… I do firmly believe that his needs work on conditioning age skating. And that he clearly doesn’t fully get it yet, or isn’t in the best headspace to get it yet.

I think his issues are mindset based and they are present because of his age. Not his personality. 

 

He’s 21. And the organization spent a 1OVA and we only seem to hear about his perceived lack of effort, dedication, commitment to off-ice work, however anyone what’s to view it. 

We never hear anything regarding what they’ve done or are doing to aid, improve, develop him, etc.

 

And that’s what bothers me. 

 

Plus they have had historically minimal success developing forwards. 

[Lord Al]

Now that Laffy is signed a two-year bridge deal now you will see the likes of a Nick Ritchie, or Zach Kassian be signed to a PTO

[Pete]

4 hours ago, Br4d said:

 

Well that's obviously a mistake and a poor prioritization of resources.

 

Chytil skates just fine. So does Miller and obviously Fox.  The young guys who don't skate well should be working on that on a weekly basis in-season.  They should be doing that within a structure that improves their skating ability.

Not a mistake at all. I think these guys know what they're doing. In season, the focus on game situations. Skills work is for the summer. This isn't just the Rangers. That's how it's done. Hell, the Wild barely practice, based on and trackers the players wear that monitor fatigue.

 

Of course guys will stay late working on their shot, or tip ins, faceoffs...but they're not out there working on crossovers.

[Br4d]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

Not a mistake at all. I think these guys know what they're doing. In season, the focus on game situations. Skills work is for the summer. This isn't just the Rangers. That's how it's done. Hell, the Wild barely practice, based on and trackers the players wear that monitor fatigue.

 

Of course guys will stay late working on their shot, or tip ins, faceoffs...but they're not out there working on crossovers.

 

Again, this is a mistake.  If a players skating skills can be improved they should be improved and relying on the player to do it in the off-season is insane.

 

Do teams rely on players to do weight-training in the off-season to get stronger if that is seen as critical to their play?

[Pete]

8 hours ago, Br4d said:

 

Again, this is a mistake.  If a players skating skills can be improved they should be improved and relying on the player to do it in the off-season is insane.

 

Do teams rely on players to do weight-training in the off-season to get stronger if that is seen as critical to their play?

Players rarely lift weights during the season. Too taxing.

 

Many players start the season with stiffer flex in their stick and go with one that is more whippy near the end of the season because they lose weight and strength during the season. 

 

You can call it a mistake. I think they know more about it than you do. Almost like it's their job to. 

[Br4d]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

Players rarely lift weights during the season. Too taxing.

 

Many players start the season with stiffer flex in their stick and go with one that is more whippy near the end of the season because they lose weight and strength during the season. 

 

You can call it a mistake. I think they know more about it than you do. Almost like it's their job to. 

 

Name one forward the Rangers have drafted and developed into a superstar, from any position in the draft.

[Sharpshooter]

You said stiffer flex.

[Sharpshooter]

4 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Name one forward the Rangers have drafted and developed into a superstar, from any position in the draft.

Shesterkin has a good shot and could probably play forward. Other than that....I'm out. Actually, maybe if Miller was converted into a forward, he might be good. lol

[Br4d]

The sad thing is the Rangers haven't even drafted and developed star forwards.  At any point in their existence.  It's almost like the Rangers don't know what they're doing.

[Sharpshooter]

Just now, Br4d said:

The sad thing is the Rangers haven't even drafted and developed star forwards.  At any point in their existence.  It's almost like the Rangers don't know what they're doing.

They don't. lol I mean, they're good at finding defensemen and really good at finding goaltenders, but they've always been awful at drafting and developing forwards. Think about this. The last real superstar forward they drafted and successfully developed was Rod Gilbert. Rod Gilbert.

[Br4d]

Here's the thing that's maddening about it: Brian Leetch was a *great* skater.  K'Andre Miller is an excellent skater.  Filip Chytil is a good skater. It's not like the organization hasn't drafted people who were great on their edges.

 

However the people they are drafting high today have a weakness that can be fixed only the Rangers apparently aren't making any effort to do that.  That's like a recipe for continuously fishing for free agents and making deadline rentals.  Because you're incompetent at sorting out one of the most important aspects in hockey on a consistent basis.

 

Gilbert Perreault was a very interesting prospect with a prominent weakness.  Guess where that was?  Are they going to fix this by the time he is ready to surface or is he going to be another guy who can't skate well enough to be a star?

[Sharpshooter]

Indeed. It's possible he becomes a fantastic player at the NHL level, but skating will just remain a weakness, assuming it improves a little by then.

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Br4d said:

 

Name one forward the Rangers have drafted and developed into a superstar, from any position in the draft.

What does it matter? Why you muddying the waters and moving the goalposts?

 

This is the point, the Rangers can tell their players to follow a strict program during the offseason, but if the player doesn't do that, what other Rangers supposed to do? They are not obligated to do anything during the offseason that they don't feel like doing. That's not a Ranger specific issue. That's how it is across the NHL. The offseason is the off-season... The players are not working. 

 

There are some players that put in extra work, and then there's Lafreniere. I don't know where you get this idea that human beings can be forced to do things. He's not putting in the work, and that's why he sucks. You always want to blame everybody else instead of just holding him accountable. 

 

You know who is lazy too? Zherdev. That guy wouldn't go near the gym, was constantly late to practice, and basically did nothing hockey related during the offseason. He certainly developed into a shining star. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pete

[Sharpshooter]

It's a combination of not putting in the work, and just not being that good to begin with. 

[Br4d]

23 minutes ago, Sharpshooter said:

It's a combination of not putting in the work, and just not being that good to begin with. 

 

Lafreniere is actually a very talented forward with some work ethic issues and not so fast on his skates.  He's sturdy on his skates though.  He stands up well to contact he just doesn't have the first few steps you need to be a great forward.

 

If you look at his highlights a couple of things stand out.  First, his skating posture is bad.  He bends too much as he's skating and he loses both speed and endurance when he does that.  This should be fixable once it's pointed out and he is given corrective training.  The other thing is that he loses the ability to change direction easily when he's in that posture.  It's much harder to change direction when you are starting in that posture.  The really elusive players are standing tall at the start, bending into the turn and then coming back out tall.

 

If you watch Cale Makar this really stands out in his maneuvers.

[Br4d]

30 minutes ago, Pete said:

What does it matter? Why you muddying the waters and moving the goalposts?

 

 

 

It matters because you suggested the Rangers organization knows what it is doing and in the matter of developing talent at the forward positions this is clearly not true.

 

I'm not giving the Rangers the benefit of the doubt when they haven't proven they can develop a young forward and in 50+ seasons of watching them I have *never* seen them do this.

 

Transplants from other organizations?  Sure.

 

Homegrown talent?  NEVER.

[Sharpshooter]

3 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Lafreniere is actually a very talented forward with some work ethic issues and not so fast on his skates.  He's sturdy on his skates though.  He stands up well to contact he just doesn't have the first few steps you need to be a great forward.

 

If you look at his highlights a couple of things stand out.  First, his skating posture is bad.  He bends too much as he's skating and he loses both speed and endurance when he does that.  This should be fixable once it's pointed out and he is given corrective training.  The other thing is that he loses the ability to change direction easily when he's in that posture.  It's much harder to change direction when you are starting in that posture.  The really elusive players are standing tall at the start, bending into the turn and then coming back out tall.

 

If you watch Cale Makar this really stands out in his maneuvers.

They really should have hooked him up with a skating instructor or something. He's clearly not going to do it himself. I remember when Boyle was here and he went out and seeked help with his skating. Laf needs something like that. Work ethic issues are still a major concern, though. Like, get your ass in gear, dude.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Sharpshooter

[Pete]

43 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

It matters because you suggested the Rangers organization knows what it is doing and in the matter of developing talent at the forward positions this is clearly not true.

 

I'm not giving the Rangers the benefit of the doubt when they haven't proven they can develop a young forward and in 50+ seasons of watching them I have *never* seen them do this.

 

Transplants from other organizations?  Sure.

 

Homegrown talent?  NEVER.

Name one forward you have drafted and developed into a superstar, from any position in the draft. 

 

Once again, you are blaming the team for the player's lack of off-season commitment.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pete

[Br4d]

Just now, Pete said:

Name one forward you have drafted and developed into a superstar, from any position in the draft.

 

 

 

Irrelevant.  It's not my job to do so.

 

The Rangers demonstrably suck at this given the evidence over time.

 

Odds are pretty good that any knowledgeable hockey fan on this forum could do a better job than they have given 50 years to make it happen.

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Irrelevant.  It's not my job to do so.

 

The Rangers demonstrably suck at this given the evidence over time.

 

Odds are pretty good that any knowledgeable hockey fan on this forum could do a better job than they have given 50 years to make it happen.

It's relevant when you're trying to point out "mistakes" like not having Lafreniere work on skating during the season, which is something that no NHL club does lol.

 

Now you're trying to make it about overall development because you were proven wrong about that.

 

Krieder has a really good chance of breaking the Rangers all-time goal scoring totals. Last I checked he was homegrown.

 

You're also leaving out the fact that since the lockout, the Rangers have really never been bad, at least not bad enough to get top picks. When they got top picks, they were top picks who couldn't skate. It's up to them to develop their weaknesses. It's up to them to put in the work. It's pretty clear that Kakko is a better skater now than when he first came into the league. The same is not true about Lafreniere. 

[Br4d]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Williams_(skating_coach)

 

How about them Islanders and their 4 cups?

[RangersIn7]

15 minutes ago, Pete said:

It's relevant when you're trying to point out "mistakes" like not having Lafreniere work on skating during the season, which is something that no NHL club does lol.

 

Now you're trying to make it about overall development because you were proven wrong about that.

 

Krieder has a really good chance of breaking the Rangers all-time goal scoring totals. Last I checked he was homegrown.

 

You're also leaving out the fact that since the lockout, the Rangers have really never been bad, at least not bad enough to get top picks. When they got top picks, they were top picks who couldn't skate. It's up to them to develop their weaknesses. It's up to them to put in the work. It's pretty clear that Kakko is a better skater now than when he first came into the league. The same is not true about Lafreniere. 

There is no shortage of guys who come into the league and have aspects of their game, particularly skating, that needs work and time. We hear it about a lot guys. 

His skating is about just below average overall. The work needed occurs in the off-season. Either he’s done it, or he hasn’t.

Theres natural improvement that comes with just playing and gaining experience, too. 

[Pete]

5 minutes ago, RangersIn7 said:

There is no shortage of guys who come into the league and have aspects of their game, particularly skating, that needs work and time. We hear it about a lot guys. 

His skating is about just below average overall. The work needed occurs in the off-season. Either he’s done it, or he hasn’t.

Theres natural improvement that comes with just playing and gaining experience, too. 

 

But most of us realize power skating coaching is not something that is done during the season, but in the offseason. Sure they might have the coach come in for tweaks and adjustments, but these guys aren't working on that during the season for the most part. 

[Pete]

28 minutes ago, Br4d said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Williams_(skating_coach)

 

How about them Islanders and their 4 cups?

 

 

Can you point to the part of the article where it says skating was coached during the regular season and not the off season?

 

Yes what happened in 1977 is surely relevant today.

 

Those guys also drank beer between periods along with ripping smokes in the locker room. Should players today do that?

 

The Rangers have a skating coach. That coach cannot force Lafreniere onto the ice in July. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pete