There were more than a few eyebrows raised when the New York Rangers won the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, giving them the right to select Quebec Major Junior Hockey League forward Alexis Lafrenière with the first overall pick despite having been participants in the postseason that year.
And while Lafrenière arrived in the Big Apple with plenty of fanfare and expectation, he's not put up the kind of numbers that just about everyone was expecting of him - especially after he posted 35 goals and 77 assists in just 52 games with Rimouski Océanic in his final year in the QMJHL. His best NHL output so far has been 19 goals in 79 games played during 2021-22, and he followed that by tallying just 16 goals with 23 assists in 81 games played in 2022-23.
He was also routinely relegated to the team's 4th line by now-former head coach Gerard Gallant, who was dismissed by GM Chris Drury after they blew a 2-0 series lead in Round 1 against the hated rival New Jersey Devils this past spring.
But with new head coach Peter Laviolette in town, there is hope that he can re-discover the offensive touch that made him easily the top projected pick of 2020. He also happens to be in need of a new contract, as his three-year entry level deal expired this summer.
And according to Lafrenière himself, a new deal is indeed in the works and is "coming".
"Yes, it's coming," he said about an extension. "My agent and the Rangers are in discussions and I hope it will be settled in the next few weeks. I love playing there, and it would be super cool to continue."
"That's what the National League is all about. You have to be patient sometimes, it takes a little longer. I'm really looking forward to re-signing."
It looks as though he's sticking around the Big Apple. Will his offensive numbers improve with a new head coach?
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