Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[DanielBrassard]

This explains pretty well why his point totals are what they are.

 

[ThirdEye]

Zone exit skillz that former #1 overalls can only dream of

 

[mas0764]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

 

[UnSandvich]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

He needs to shoot more, and he needs a more explosive first step or two. Everything besides that is just a matter of confidence.

 

[rangersfansince08]

He needs to shoot more, and he needs a more explosive first step or two. Everything besides that is just a matter of confidence.

do you think he can still be a ppg+ player if he works on those Things? or has that boat sailed?

 

[Paul Padovano]

Serious question. People seem to reference Kakko playing great with Panarin and Strome a good amount but what games are exactly being referenced? I remember he struggled at first with them and had maybe a good game or two. But he wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. Any numbers that back that up?

I feel like people are overhyping Kakko with that line but I haven’t looked at the stats and data closely. Could use some help there.

He has shown good hockey iq, seems to always make the safe play, defensively responsible, cerebral player, but the Rangers didn't draft him to be a future Bob Gainey. Peter Forsberg is much more what they had in mind. I'm afraid he might get too comfortable doing what he is doing, and not take his game to the next level. More pp time wouldn't hurt Kakko.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

he needs to stop being a little bitch and go make a play. Both he and Kakko play like they got their balls removed.

 

[EdJovanovski]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

Everything

 

[ElLeetch]

he needs to stop being a little bitch and go make a play. Both he and Kakko play like they got their balls removed.

Seeing the big, dangling yam-bags on Lundel, Zegras, and Sieder sure looks attractive. Which our guys had some jimmies.

 

[tomobson]

Personally I don’t care about stats with Lafreniere right now. There’s ways to make them look good or bad. I care about what I see on the ice. Is he generating chances? Not many. Does he make others better? Not really. Is he displaying high level skill? Not really. Is he a great skater? Not really. A little above average maybe. I think what he has is a very good shot, swagger, and some bite and chippiness to his game. Quality mid-six support player type qualities. Unfortunately I don’t see elite talent. I don’t see a player who will drive a line. I don’t see the #1 overall talent he was billed as. I hope I am wrong, and plenty of time to be proven wrong. I just won’t pretend I’m seeing something different just because of his junior numbers or draft pedigree. Prove me wrong Laffy. Please. I’m still very much rooting for you.

I'm optimistic about his future because I do believe it can click at any moment for him but right now he has been a disappointment for sure. He really has not stood out on any line he's played on this year so far. People claiming that he's looked significantly better with Strome or Mika are grabbing at straws imo. He's getting more minutes so he's more noticeable but he has not looked like he's belonged in the top six or even top nine all year. Hopefully that changes soon. Maybe this short break is a good time for him to hit that reset button. He might not have the greatest footwork but he still has the ability to be productive with his shot and smarts.

 

[UnSandvich]

do you think he can still be a ppg+ player if he works on those Things? or has that boat sailed?

in my personal opinion, absolutely. If fixes those things, more pucks will start going in the net, leading to more confidence, leading to more of the swagger from him we saw pre-draft

 

[JCMac23]

When I see Laf play it always seems like he's looking to defer to his linemates rather than being the playmaker/goal scorer he was advertised to be in juniors. Definitely lacks confidence, almost like he lost whatever highly touted skills he had from when he last played junior hockey. Watching his junior mix tape compared to now is so night and day, kinda depressing honestly.

 

[Bacon Artemi Bravo]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

I truly believe it starts with confidence. He needs to improve his confidence. Of course there are parts of his game he will continue to develop over the years but it all starts with him feeling like he belongs out there and playing like he knows that he has what it takes to impact a game.

 

[Anthony5967]

When I see Laf play it always seems like he's looking to defer to his linemates rather than being the playmaker/goal scorer he was advertised to be in juniors. Definitely lacks confidence, almost like he lost whatever highly touted skills he had from when he last played junior hockey. Watching his junior mix tape compared to now is so night and day, kinda depressing honestly.

You realize those 16 year old kids respected him more and were giving him ample space and time to make plays? And that his confidence was through the roof from dominating? This is the NHL. They don’t owe you anything. He’s going through the process right now.

 

[Scott r]

Problem is everyone works on skills. Listen to people here talking about its just confidence. Like you have any idea. All I've said is that top number 1 mostly do it within 2nd year....he hasn't. Maybe he will improve....maybe

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Short fluff piece. Alexis Lafrenier.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

He's gonna be a star

 

[Scheifele55]

do you think he can still be a ppg+ player if he works on those Things? or has that boat sailed?

For sure he could be a PPG player. He wasn't drafted 1st overall to be a bottom 6 player. If the Rangers lose faith in him, there are a lot of teams willing to give him a chance. One of them is my Winnipeg Jets. I came here because a Facebook site spoke about how the Rangers should target Copp, Stastny, and Harkins.

 

[Peltz]

So someone put in English what that means he needs to improve on.

He needs to shoot a bit more. He has a good enough shot to generate offense (goals or rebounds) from near the top of the circle. Just shoot a bit more from the outside, especially when Kreider is around the net.

 

[LeprechauninBlue]

Really like his play latley. Need more muscle , was shown last night in the OT and confidence and he will be a star.

 

[ThirdEye]

He's definitely improving game to game, but it's like .2% at a lol. Going to be a while before he can be counted on to produce steadily but I think he'll get there. I see his trajectory similar to that of someone like Seguin like Laf joined a playoff team and didn't really get going until a full seasons worth of games.

The 3 assists in 40+ games though is ugly as hell. There's just no way around it

 

[duhmetreE]

Kid is so snakebit. Flubbing his setups... to Adam Fox bodyblocking goals.

 

[duhmetreE]

good news though....

 

[Riche16]

It’s him and a goalie and again he’s not up to it. His move looked like something I would pull and shocker, I wasn’t drafted by ANY NHL TEAM let alone as a #1

 

[Rangers in 7]

It’s him and a goalie and again he’s not up to it. His move looked like something I would pull and shocker, I wasn’t drafted by ANY NHL TEAM let alone as a #1

You’re an idiot