It’s no secret that Lafreniere (and Will Cuylle, among others) looked lost to start the season. The Rangers were adjusting to a new system and doing it without a top-six center. The team didn’t play with a full roster until Monday after the win over Nashville, so everyone had to adjust while also being shorthanded.
Lafreniere’s 3-8-11 line to start the season ranks third on the team in points, behind only Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. But what’s surprising is that this goes well beyond the normal counting stats and newer possession stats.
It’s still a bit too early for that owns numbers to have the true meaning, but it does give us a bit of a deeper dive into Lafreniere’s piece. What is pleasing to see is that Lafreniere’s attacking playmaking and defensive play suppression are very good, suggesting that the 23-year-old Lafreniere is a lot better than some of the complaints suggest. The power play opportunities are also there, but they have not yet consistently ended up in the back of the net.
Claiming that Lafreniere is a lot better than a lot of the hate he gets is pretty obvious, after all you just have to look at the numbers. The arguments against are mainly focused on two things: he’s not a generational talent or he’s a scorer of empty calories. The first is true and Lafreniere can’t do anything about it, nor is it his fault that the hype machine has gone out of control. The latter is proven untrue just by watching him play and continue to learn under Mike Sullivan.
Using single-game examples is often a folly, but Monday night’s win was a good example of how Lafreniere has improved as the season has progressed. His power play goal and two assists helped blow the game open for a desperate Rangers team that needed a win and some goals on home ice. It’s an example of Lafreniere starting to take a more active role in encouraging play.
If you’re not a numbers guy, you can just look at what else he’s done. Lafreniere is a lot better than many gave him credit for. In addition to the points, he played a key role in Vlad Gavrikov’s goal, making a fly-by on Juuse Saros to screen him just as Gavrikov took his shot. He was much more assertive, attacking open ice and creating space for others. These are things that don’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet, but are offensive. The screen was also reminiscent of one Chris Kreider.
Like Kreider, the hate Lafreniere receives is often exaggerated. There is intense bias because Lafreniere, a first overall pick, was not the generational talent the Rangers hype machine made him out to be. But Lafreniere is a lot better than many haters want to admit. He is a solid top-six forward who will increase his scoring pace now that the Rangers have a complete lineup. It’s still early enough in the season where one streak – good or bad – can skew the totals. Just look at Taylor Raddysh or, for those who have been around a while, Aaron Voros.
Lafreniere is also only 23 years old and for the first time in his career, he has a coach who not only invests in his growth and development, but also puts him in a position to succeed. This means a lot of time on the top power play unit, something that will ultimately lead to sexier raw point totals. Lafreniere is a lot better than the story suggests, and maybe it’s time to accept that he’s a top-six forward, just not at the level of Connor McDavid.
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