Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[LionsHeart]

Hot dogs are to Kessel what alcohol is to Bender from Futurama. For anyone else they’re terrible for you, but for them it’s needed fuel.

 

[duhmetreE]

I do not care that he's not a dynamic elite skating superstar.

I want an impact player that helps win games in the Playoffs. See Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.

We need him to be Sam Bennett+ or by some miracle, Tkachuk. ( tbh I think Tkachuk had to be on something.... PED wise. The length of his shifts and pace are/were otherworldly.... )

 

[Barnaby]

My dad always told me that some guys mature at different rates so Im staying patient with Laf. With that said staying patient is much different than believing anyone ruined Laf. Guys like Crosby, MacKinon, etc have huge work ethics. Id be happy just to see more of that in Laf. I firmly believe if he skated 4 hours a day 5 days a week this off season he would not only improve his skating but he would get in top shape. Is he doing that or enjoying his time off? I can't say. What Laf does in his career will ultimately come down to Laf. Im praying we see improvement in his skills soon. Im not worried about the stats good or bad. Just show me better skating, better stamina, and a harder shot.

Of course, the flip side of that is he might’ve developed quicker than other kids which I’d why he looked so dominant. Now that everyone man size he may have just lost the physical edge that made him appear special.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Of course, the flip side of that is he might’ve developed quicker than other kids which I’d why he looked so dominant. Now that everyone man size he may have just lost the physical edge that made him appear special.

That is a possibility. I remember someone on lottery night a commentator brought up his skating as a possible issue. Laf laughed and said something like he can skate. I was happy to hear that confidence at the time. Now looking back I wish he took that comment to heart and made the possible weakness in to a possible strength.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Of course, the flip side of that is he might’ve developed quicker than other kids which I’d why he looked so dominant. Now that everyone man size he may have just lost the physical edge that made him appear special.

That makes sense for units like Ekblad but Laf doesn’t strike me as physically superior , he’s not that big , or strong, or fast, or athletic so I don’t see how he could have dominated juniors just based on that .

His skill and IQ are what made him such a star.

 

[CTRanger]

Wow this thread

 

[will1066]

Body fat is the best source of energy there is. When Michael Phelps was an active competitor, he ate two pizzas a day.

There is, at some point, a correlation between body fat and being out of shape, but it's far from a perfect correlation.

You know who else could play all f***ing night in his day? Dustin Byfuglien.

Ed's BFP is 2%. Where does he get his energy from?

Phelps was never fat. He ate the 2 pizzas like any other elite endurance athlete would before an event for the carbs to burn.

Ed eats 2 Pizza Huts and goes out plays 3 pickup games in a day and still has energy to argue over the phone with his drunk uncle about Laf' trajectory or lack thereof, lighting up the Telus cell towers, as he walks 10 miles to the next Pizza Hut.

I just don't think looking at visceral body fat on someone is a consistently accurate determinant of athletic performance. We covered Bam Bam Bigelow. Chris Farley was a Chippendale's mover and shaker on SNL. Excluding the obese who do not engage in physical activity.

We're on the same side, though.

 

[Crease]

I put on 10lbs and zero muscle this summer in solidary with Laf.

At last night’s men’s league game, I was very rosy and gassed after each shift. Odd.

 

[haohmaru]

At last night’s men’s league game, I was very rosy and gassed after each shift. Odd.

Furnace Face IMHO

 

[EXTRAS]

Guy put up 40 points as a 21 year old with 1 minute of pptoi per game. Debrincat put up 67 points with 4 minutes of pptoi. If laf had gotten an extra 3 minutes of pptoi per game I don't see why he couldn't have gotten 55 points last year. I think that would have been just fine for a 21 year old 1st overall pick. He's just more buried on this team than most young 1st overall picks.

Even Mackinnon didn't get higher than 53 points in his seasons 2-4 of his career and he was getting absolute elite minutes on that team. He was getting 19 min/gm and 2.5-3 minutes a game of 1st line pptoi on average. While Laf gets 15 minutes and 1 minute of pptoi.

No laf won't be mackinnon, but I think his icetime is lowering his points compared to other 1st overall picks who go to bad teams and are given the best minutes.

I think solid chance if he was given to a team like San Jose he would be a 60 point guy this coming season.

I think he will come around for nyr eventually.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Guy put up 40 points as a 21 year old with 1 minute of pptoi per game. Debrincat put up 67 points with 4 minutes of pptoi. If laf had gotten an extra 3 minutes of pptoi per game I don't see why he couldn't have gotten 55 points last year. I think that would have been just fine for a 21 year old 1st overall pick. He's just more buried on this team than most young 1st overall picks.

Even Mackinnon didn't get higher than 53 points in his seasons 2-4 of his career and he was getting absolute elite minutes on that team. He was getting 19 min/gm and 2.5-3 minutes a game of 1st line pptoi on average. While Laf gets 15 minutes and 1 minute of pptoi.

No laf won't be mackinnon, but I think his icetime is lowering his points compared to other 1st overall picks who go to bad teams and are given the best minutes.

I think solid chance if he was given to a team like San Jose he would be a 60 point guy this coming season.

I think he will come around for nyr eventually.

I personally couldn't care less about stats. Go wow me. Go win your shifts from the start of the game. With CK as a young guy we saw the speed. With Zibs it was the shot. With Bread it was the stickhandling and passing. I just want Laf to come in next season and I can say he has really worked on XYZ skills. The good thing about not being a great skater is if he does improve it will be easily noticable. The thing I can see improving just by age are his puck possession and shot just by getting stronger.

 

[Hug Ben Laf]

I personally couldn't care less about stats. Go wow me. Go win your shifts from the start of the game. With CK as a young guy we saw the speed. With Zibs it was the shot. With Bread it was the stickhandling and passing. I just want Laf to come in next season and I can say he has really worked on XYZ skills. The good thing about not being a great skater is if he does improve it will be easily noticable. The thing I can see improving just by age are his puck possession and shot just by getting stronger.

With Laffy I see him having the right instinct around the net, being on the right place in dirty area to score the goals

 

[NickyFotiu]

With Laffy I see him having the right instinct around the net, being on the right place in dirty area to score the goals

He does a pretty solid job in close. Having a good backhand can help in close. With that said I think people are hoping for more wow in the skill department. Im still optimistic. He has had 2 highlight worthy goals. Show us more Laf. We want to point and say thats why he was #1.

 

[ReddestRum]

With Laffy I see him having the right instinct around the net, being on the right place in dirty area to score the goals

Edit: Actually he did get one deflection goal on PP1, lol.

Funny enough, the Rangers aren't a rebound team. We would rather pass to set up the "perfect" goal than just put it the the hell on net for garbage goals. I wish there was a stat to see how many rebound goals a team gets during the season at 5v5, because I feel as though we'd be near the bottom of that list.

 

[duhmetreE]

Despite all the memes, I still think Laffy puts it together and becomes a good player.

I'll even say he wins a Cup.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Despite all the memes, I still think Laffy puts it together and becomes a good player.

I'll even say he wins a Cup.

Then he will get dealt right before he will win a cup.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Despite all the memes, I still think Laffy puts it together and becomes a good player.

I'll even say he wins a Cup.

I hope so. Cup or no cup I just want some Rangers that are fun to watch. Hopefully this is a great year for Laf and KK.

 

[Bacon Artemi Bravo]

Hockey is crazy. Life is crazy. I would think we ALL are hoping Laf turns into a real difference maker, even if you've given up on him.

Vally is right and a lot of the meme's in this thread are painfully true, he needs a bigtime summer. He needs to be in the gym twice a day. Vally has said many many times, players can get better at skating. It happens a lot. Teams drafting usually draft for the level of skating they think a player can get to with relentless hard work in the off season surrounded by the right people. I hope Laf wants it enough, that might just be what makes him or breaks him. Even as someone who is a big supporter and who thinks he will turn it around, I can acknowledge that if he does not take his summers seriously, he very well could be out of the league within a couple short seasons. It's a hard league and these guys need to work their asses off to establish themselves and make it all work.

 

[JHS]

I just don't understand how the Laf cheerleaders get wrapped up with single year EV stats vice production as a whole and continue to find mathematical miracles in order to put Laf on the same pedestal as Hughes, Stuts, Mack because of his 3rd line EV stats. Like, how can you actually sit there and justify your comparison knowing that the players you've compared Laf to were team leaders who, yes, did get top minutes and PP time, but they did so on shit teams. Despite their production as rookies and D+2 seasons, people looked at Hughes and Mack and said these guys are going to be superstars. People called it and they were right. I'm not talking about the pundits looking at players pre-draft, but after their first few seasons, you knew these players were something special.

However, this fanbase continues to believe that superstardom in the NHL isn't an inherent skill but is somehow gained by f***ing PP1 and top minutes force-feeding. It's embarrassing to be a fan of this org sometimes and I can only imagine other fanbases peeking in this thread to have the "LAF" of their lives when we compare our average players to the league's best.

Yes and what’s worse about these Laf lovers is they think this organization has killed the guy just because, I guess, he has not produced and that can’t possibly fall on him. You just have to look at the Devils, with Hughes who similarly was not producing and then devoted himself to improving in the summer and then- bamm started to produce. As nearly every honest fan has pointed out, he’s done nothing to improve himself, and his skill set is, if we are being honest, average at best in most known areas.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Hockey is crazy. Life is crazy. I would think we ALL are hoping Laf turns into a real difference maker, even if you've given up on him.

Vally is right and a lot of the meme's in this thread are painfully true, he needs a bigtime summer. He needs to be in the gym twice a day. Vally has said many many times, players can get better at skating. It happens a lot. Teams drafting usually draft for the level of skating they think a player can get to with relentless hard work in the off season surrounded by the right people. I hope Laf wants it enough, that might just be what makes him or breaks him. Even as someone who is a big supporter and who thinks he will turn it around, I can acknowledge that if he does not take his summers seriously, he very well could be out of the league within a couple short seasons. It's a hard league and these guys need to work their asses off to establish themselves and make it all work.

I believe Paul Coffey became one of the best skaters ever after his skating was a weakness as a kid. He devoted himself to power skating training (no pucks) for years. Rumor is he wore a skate that was too small to increase his speed but I don't get the logic there.

 

[bhamill]

Yes and what’s worse about these Laf lovers is they think this organization has killed the guy just because, I guess, he has not produced and that can’t possibly fall on him. You just have to look at the Devils, with Hughes who similarly was not producing and then devoted himself to improving in the summer and then- bamm started to produce. As nearly every honest fan has pointed out, he’s done nothing to improve himself, and his skill set is, if we are being honest, average at best in most known areas.

I personally don’t think the organization has “killed” Laf (or Kakko). I don’t think either is near done developing. But they have certainly not put them in the same position to develop quickly that the Devils did with Hughes, despite Hughes having a worse D+1 than Laf. Nobody looked at Hughes in his D+1 and guaranteed superstardom, that’s revisionist. You could see his speed and other attributes, but he did NOT look like a sure thing by any means.
My outlook on it is that Laf is far from a finished product, it’s partly on him, partly on the organization’s tact. It’s not JUST one thing, and it wasn’t with Hughes either. He worked hard AND the Devils fed him top minutes and PP1 regardless of him not “earning it.” And with the position their team was in, it was a no brainer. Was more complicated for NYR and Laf with two veteran stars ahead of him at both EV and on the PP. Laf will get there, not Hughes level but a very valuable NHLer. I don’t think he’s ruined, so I can’t think the organization ruined him. Right now, among forwards from his draft I rank Stutzle, Laf, Raymond as the three best all around, in that order, and would not be surprised if that’s how they shake out at their ceilings. Having the 1OA end up the second best isn’t ideal, but it’s neither unheard of nor the end of the world.

 

[will1066]

Hockey is crazy. Life is crazy. I would think we ALL are hoping Laf turns into a real difference maker, even if you've given up on him.

Vally is right and a lot of the meme's in this thread are painfully true, he needs a bigtime summer. He needs to be in the gym twice a day. Vally has said many many times, players can get better at skating. It happens a lot. Teams drafting usually draft for the level of skating they think a player can get to with relentless hard work in the off season surrounded by the right people. I hope Laf wants it enough, that might just be what makes him or breaks him. Even as someone who is a big supporter and who thinks he will turn it around, I can acknowledge that if he does not take his summers seriously, he very well could be out of the league within a couple short seasons. It's a hard league and these guys need to work their asses off to establish themselves and make it all work.

First MSG preseason broadcast, with Joe Micheletti, minister of analyst information:

"Lafreniere worked really hard this summer. I bumped into him at practice yesterday ("bumped into him" is always the case), and he said that he spent the summer working out five days a week, sometimes twice a day ("sometimes" injected to make it more believable), He said his skating really improved by working with a skating coach (purposely not named).

I think he's going to have a big year, Sam."


Meanwhile, Laf's body looks exactly the same as last season.

 

[will1066]

I personally don’t think the organization has “killed” Laf (or Kakko). I don’t think either is near done developing. But they have certainly not put them in the same position to develop quickly that the Devils did with Hughes, despite Hughes having a worse D+1 than Laf. Nobody looked at Hughes in his D+1 and guaranteed superstardom, that’s revisionist. You could see his speed and other attributes, but he did NOT look like a sure thing by any means.
My outlook on it is that Laf is far from a finished product, it’s partly on him, partly on the organization’s tact. It’s not JUST one thing, and it wasn’t with Hughes either. He worked hard AND the Devils fed him top minutes and PP1 regardless of him not “earning it.” And with the position their team was in, it was a no brainer. Was more complicated for NYR and Laf with two veteran stars ahead of him at both EV and on the PP. Laf will get there, not Hughes level but a very valuable NHLer. I don’t think he’s ruined, so I can’t think the organization ruined him. Right now, among forwards from his draft I rank Stutzle, Laf, Raymond as the three best all around, in that order, and would not be surprised if that’s how they shake out at their ceilings. Having the 1OA end up the second best isn’t ideal, but it’s neither unheard of nor the end of the world.

The debate in this thread has gone in circles like the earth itself, but this post is and always will be the best breakdown.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I'm closing this until we have a contract resolution and then we can start fresh.