Withe calendar hitting September and training camp later this month, we cover another open question from the list of top off-season questions. A large majority of the questions have been answered either through blogs or what has taken place in the draft and free agency with only a handful of questions remaining. I have noted which ones I think we have covered either directly in blogs or by events during the timeframe noted above.
This column discusses question 4:
Is Did Alexis Lafreniere show enough to be moved to the top-six and do you view him as a first line right winger?
25 Questions:
In almost every year past, we have done some version of the top 20 or so off-season questions. To state the obvious and what should be remembered by many, we usually have entered the late-spring and summer with more questions than answers. This year may be no different, despite what looks to be settled on the team. As done in year's past, I throw this one to you, asking for you to provide your questions, which I will incorporate in the blogs to carry us through the summer.
1) Will Ryan Strome or Andrew Copp be re-signed, and if one is to be brought back, which one do you prefer? (answered by the signing of Vincent Trocheck coupled with Strome now in Anaheim and Copp in Detroit)
2) Would you deal Kakko Kappo for a second or third line center and do you want that to be Kirby Dach? (somewhat answered with Dach now in Montreal, but Kakko still might get dealt)
3) Is Filip Chytil a center or a winger? (covered here )
4) Did Alexis Lafreniere show enough to be moved to the top-six and do you view him as a first line right winger? (answered in this blog)
5) Would you buy out Patrik Nemeth or what would you package him with to free up his $2.5 million salary this year (and next)? (answered by the trade of Nemeth to Arizona
6) Who are you adding as Igor Shesterkin's back up once Alexandar Georgiev is moved? Can Keith Kinkaid and/or Adam Huska fill that spot? Do you add a veteran like Braden Holtby for $1 million? answered by the signing of Jaroslav Halak and Louie Domingue coupled with trade of Georgiev to Colorado.Kinkaid has signed with Boston and Holtby will miss the year with an injury
7) Should New York add a veteran blueliner or try Nils Lundkvist or Zac Jones or Matthew Robertson as the sixth d-man? Is the wiser course of action to do both? Answered in this blog
8) Is Vitali Kravtsov part of the future and will he be brought back to the US? (Covered here and here) plus as announced today, he reported early to be ready for training camp.
9) Would and should the Rangers really consider dealing Artemi Panarin as Arthur Staple hinted at in his column? (think we all know the answer to this one)
10) Will Brennan Othmann and/or Will Cuylle be given a REAL chance to make the squad this summer or will the Rangers opt to not rush the youngsters? Both are on their ELCs and are listed as LW. If they do make the roster, then who gets moved out?(TommyGTrain) Answered in this blog
11) Are the Rangers built to compete against Colorado for the Stanley Cup?
12) Is Gerald Gallant the right coach for this team moving forward?
13) How do you want the third and fourth lines to look? Do they need to be a traditional bottom-six or should the third line be more of a scoring line? Answered in this blog as well as below
14) Should New York consider buying out the final season of Ryan Reaves’ deal? (Factors include cap savings for this year and small amount of dead cap space in 2023-24) (think we have covered this in the past and pretty sure I have made my opinion clear)
15) Is acquiring Jonathan Toews under strong consideration by New York?
16) What does Jessica Campbell bring to the table and how important is her hiring? (covered here and now a moot point as she signed as an assistant coach with Anaheim's farm team )
17) Will Theo Fleury and Pat Verbeek make the Hall of Fame and what does their absence tell us about the voting process?
18)Should the Rangers deal Chris Kreider, and if so, what should be the targeted return? covered here
More to come
Lafreniere took a step forward after notching 12 goals and nine assists in 56 games as a rookie. In basically the same amount of ice time per game - 13:59 in 2021-2022 vs. 13:53 the prior year - Lafreniere potted 19 goals while adding 12 helpers in 79 contests. Though, if you extrapolate his first season production over 79 games, you would end up with 29 points, so his output was not greatly beyond what he posted as a rookie.
While the numbers show a slight rise, they do not fully reflect the growth he showed. Lafreniere looked more comfortable on the ice, showing some of the grit that was highlighted as part of his game leading into the draft. Where we saw Laf really take a step forward was in the playoffs. In the postseason, Laf notched a pair of goals and seven assists, but more importantly, he was a major agitator, displaying a willingness to take and receive punishment on the ice.
In addition, another area of improvement, which won't show up in the base numbers was on the defensive side of the ice. His growth in that regard was night and day. This should not come as a major shock, since it's rarer for an elite scorer in juniors to be defensively responsible as well. That aspect is one that normally takes longer to develop. Lafreniere making strides in that regard bodes exceedingly well for the future.
Back to the original question. Did Alexis Lafreniere show enough to be moved to the top-six and do you view him as a first line right winger? Laf spent most of the season at left wing on the Kid Line next to Filip Chytil and Kakko Kappo. He did line up to the right of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, but skated just 259 minutes with that duo at 5v5 before that trio was separated.
Moving from the left side to the right necessitates a change in mentality in addition to a modification of what the player is used to on the ice. Unsure it's fully akin to a left guard in football moving to the right side. but a winger going from one side to the other needs to change how he breaks up the ice, but more important, how he handles his defensive assignments. As a lefty shooter, Laf should be able to go from the left to right side without a major impact offensively, though his center would have to know not to give him the puck wide but on the near side to enable Laf to shoot off the rush.
Right wing is wide open for the Rangers. Kakko could end up in the top-six. Vitali Kravtsov, here in NY again, is back in the mix for a top-nine slot. Sammy Blais, returning from his torn ACL, also could be an option and did see some time on that top line before his injury. Heck, even Dryden Hunt could be in the mix as the team is up against the cap and has not brought anyone in - save for Jimmy Vesey on a PTO - to try and fill one of the right wing slots.
My hope is that Laf spent time this offseason working on his skating to get quicker, which he said was a focus when the season ended. But more important, it's him getting comfortable with shifting from his usual left wing to the off side through consistent work on adjusting to right wing. Heading into camp, Laf should be projected as the top line right winger and given every chance to succeed in the role. If that happens, Kakko could potentially slide in on the second line and Kravtsov the third, though as noted above, other options are available.
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