Brooks Alexis Lafreniere's Finishing Touch Has Evaporated in Growing Rangers Problem

[Phil]

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1. If the combination of three goals on 83 shots strikes a chord in your memory palace, it should, for that represented Rick Nash’s stat line for the 2015 playoffs in which Big 61’s 3.6 shooting percentage was the lowest in NHL postseason history for forwards with at least 80 shots on net.

 

The circumstances are not as urgent and the consequences are hardly as dire, but nine years later, Alexis Lafreniere entered Tuesday’s match in San Jose having scored three goals on 83 shots over his previous 29 games before exiting the 3-2 overtime defeat with three goals on 84 shots in his previous 30 contests.

 

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This is not an attempt to turn Lafreniere into a scapegoat for the Rangers’ 3-5-2, 5-7-2 and 11-11-2 descents into mediocrity and worse. But when a team gets next to no production from a bottom-six that has been compromised since Filip Chytil left the lineup on Nov. 2, it is incumbent upon his top-six to cash in its opportunities.

 

But even while generating offense in getting the third most five-on-five minutes on the club behind linemates Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, Lafreniere’s finishing touch has evaporated. What’s more, those 84 shots have come off 153 attempts, with 30 blocked and another 39 missing the target altogether.

 

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Some can be attributed to bad luck over a somewhat small sample size. But the Rangers need their putative goal scorers to be able to capitalize on their chances. Hockey folks like to say that they worry when the opportunities dry up. But I always kind of worry when a player can’t score.

 

https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/sports/alexis-lafrenieres-finishing-touch-has-evaporated-in-rangers-problem/

[RJWantsTheCup]

Should’ve traded him when Panarin was pacing 130 points.  Seriously though he’s much better this year but I’m still skeptical

[Pete]

"All he needs is more ice time with better players..."

 

Just kidding. But in all seriousness, when the big guns on your team slump, the team is going to slump, and right now almost everybody but Italian Bread is slumping. Kreider is putting up numbers but he's not impacting the game, as per usual. 

[Sharpshooter]

I want to see the Rangers draft and develop at least one guy who can actually finish just once in my lifetime. lol 

[RichieNextel305]

12 minutes ago, Sharpshooter said:

I want to see the Rangers draft and develop at least one guy who can actually finish just once in my lifetime. lol 

[Albatrosss]

14 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

Rangers hardly developed him.  Others did

[RichieNextel305]

2 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

Rangers hardly developed him.  Others did

I was just goofing around.

 

I still can’t believe he was a throw-in in that awful trade. Woof. Woofx2.

Edited January 25 by RichieNextel305

[Albatrosss]

3 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I was just goofing around.

 

I still can’t believe he was a throw-in in that awful trade. Woof. Woofx2.

its pathetic.  lol

[Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

1. If the combination of three goals on 83 shots strikes a chord in your memory palace, it should, for that represented Rick Nash’s stat line for the 2015 playoffs in which Big 61’s 3.6 shooting percentage was the lowest in NHL postseason history for forwards with at least 80 shots on net

Thanks for the reminder@BrooksBurner…

 

On topic - I’m not surprised to see Laf with these numbers. He’s never been a good finisher (atleast in the NHL), he has a decent amount of goals because he’s good at being at the right place at the right time. His goals are mainly open net goals or rebounds and deflections.

[Valriera]

He's been great this season, but he obviously needs to work on his finishing that is no surprise. Very poor shooting percentage esp when you consider the quality chances he gets. Certainly a weak point this year, as it is with everyone not named Panarin

[Sharpshooter]

36 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I was just goofing around.

 

I still can’t believe he was a throw-in in that awful trade. Woof. Woofx2.

Too soon. lol

[BrooksBurner]

Look at this board gobbling up my content

 

[jsm7302]

Laf could be JT Miller down the line. It isn't impossible.

[Br4d]

Laf is one step and a slightly quicker release from being a great player.  Lots of guys in that situation.

[Ozzy]

He's doing better...Let him improve now.

 

He's getting chances now, he never was fast enough to get to before in the NHL...I think they will start going in when we need them to.

[Valriera]

1 hour ago, Br4d said:

Laf is one step and a slightly quicker release from being a great player.  Lots of guys in that situation.

Half the NHL 

[The Dude]

Brooks has nothing better to write about than this? Kid is doing fine. Focus on Zibanejad for once. Kreider? Miller? Why Brodzinski is still here? Shesterkin blowing his next contract negotiation?  Kakko Busto? 

 

Atleast the fucking kid is GETTING scoring chances. That line is all they have. 

[BrooksBurner]

1 hour ago, Ozzy said:

He's doing better...Let him improve now.

 

He's getting chances now, he never was fast enough to get to before in the NHL...I think they will start going in when we need them to.

 

It's all there except the finish. He definitely deserves and has earned the benefit of time to see if it normalizes into actual production. There's a chance it doesn't materialize, but I'm with you. The chances are too good to not start pouring in eventually.

[RangersIn7]

14 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

It's all there except the finish. He definitely deserves and has earned the benefit of time to see if it normalizes into actual production. There's a chance it doesn't materialize, but I'm with you. The chances are too good to not start pouring in eventually.

He’s done so much better, that honestly it’s kind of shitty to break balls.

Hes in a slump.

 They’re in a team wide slump.

 

He’s generating chances, quality ones at that, and doing so consistently.

 He’ll break out.

[Pete]

I'm not really concerned, but a general point around why this is coming up... That's how expectation works, they can't use kid gloves with him. He's in the top six and the expectation is that you hit open nets when you have them, and he missed two in San Jose.

 

The expectations don't go down the higher up the lineup you go. 

[RichieNextel305]

15 hours ago, Pete said:

I'm not really concerned, but a general point around why this is coming up... That's how expectation works, they can't use kid gloves with him. He's in the top six and the expectation is that you hit open nets when you have them, and he missed two in San Jose.

 

The expectations don't go down the higher up the lineup you go. 

Nevermind missing the open net, I’m pretty sure he fanned on atleast one of them too.

 

Regardless, I share the same sentiment. His game has improved from years past and it was a nice little story to start the year. But that narrative isn’t gonna work as the year progresses. The chances are there every game for that line. He needs to start burying more of his when they come his way.

[Br4d]

Laf has problems when he is actively checked.  He's not quick enough (hand eye) to maintain possession in that scenario.  He does take some pucks away from people but he gets robbed a lot also.

 

In particular he's having trouble in front of the net and that's likely caused him to miss some shots he shouldn't have.

 

I'm thinking that the NHL is getting a book on Laf and that's a big part of his slump.  People probably didn't worry a lot about him before this season.  Panarin made them take another look and they're narrowing down Laf's profile.  He needs to adjust because the things that were working before aren't now.

 

 

Edited January 26 by Br4d

[jsm7302]

27 points and -10 so far;

39 points total last year and +10.

 

So depending on how you take that stat; if you remove 5g and 5a to account for the minus this year to make him a 0, that's 6g and 11a which has him pacing about 12g and 22a which is a regression.

 

The eye test says he is playing better by far but....idk if he truly is.....

 

 

[LindG1000]

2 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

27 points and -10 so far;

39 points total last year and +10.

 

So depending on how you take that stat; if you remove 5g and 5a to account for the minus this year to make him a 0, that's 6g and 11a which has him pacing about 12g and 22a which is a regression.

 

The eye test says he is playing better by far but....idk if he truly is.....

 

 

 

For the first time in his career, he is doing things that actually lead to goals. He's one of the unluckiest players in the league this year; he's something like 8 goals below what he should have created. I'll take that over the last few years where it looked like he was just happy to be here, because that WILL regress. Good habits score goals.

[RJWantsTheCup]

Early in the season it seemed like there was a push to over emphasize anything positive Lafraniere did.  Yes he has improved but not as much as the Rangers and their announcers have made it seem.  He’s not a good finisher and he’s lazy at picking up his guy on defense hence the minus 10.  When Panarin was on fire most decent players would pick up points playing on his line.  All he had to do was go to the net which I think is taught to wingers when they learn to play hockey.