The New York Rangers and the Lafrenière lottery
Even though the dust has just about settled since it was revealed the New York Rangers were awarded the first overall draft selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the rumors have yet to halt. It’s big news.
The New York Rangers have not won the first overall pick since 1965 when they selected right winger Andrei Veilleux. In an era where we’ve seen the New Jersey Devils and the Edmonton Oilers repeatedly dominate the Draft, the timing couldn’t be better for the Rangers to switch it up.
Talks about the 2020 Draft centered strongly on crowning the presumed first overall player a “franchise player” long before the draft order had been determined. Perhaps the whispering was amplified since the season was stagnant during the pause but also possibly because he is that special a player.
Despite the euphoria over this reward for the club, the New York Rangers organization, specifically General Manager Jeff Gorton and President John Davidson, face a lot of options. They are no doubt listening to offers.
Take Byfield. Trade down. Package trades.
Keep the first round pick. Draft Alexis Lafrenière.
News already broke that Lafrenière will not report to training camp for his Quebecois team, nor will he play in Europe. Rather the 18-year-old Canadian (19 in October) will begin to immediately train for the 2020-21 NHL season. If you ask me, that sounds like a player who can jump in and make an immediate impact and also develop into a core piece,.
Draft related update: Alexis Lafreniere will not be reporting to Rimouski’s training camp this fall and will not be going to Europe to play. He’s training in Boisbriand, plans to be drafted and report to his NHL team in November and play 20-21 in the NHL.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) August 12, 2020
There are always exceptions, but the further you stray from the projected number one pick, the more room there is for a player to not perform as expected. Let’s say the Rangers trade their number one overall pick to the Los Angeles Kings who then take Lafrenière. The Rangers would, presumably, select 18-year-old center Quinton Byfield, who is argued by some to be on the same playing field as Lafrenière, at least.
Byfield is also a year younger than Lafrenière, another year the organization would have to wait. Although the Rangers had the luxury of allowing the second overall pick from 2019, Kaapo Kakko to jump in immediately, his debut season was not what many had hoped it would be. In a sport as fierce as hockey, the Rangers cannot afford multiple seasons just to be good enough.
The Rangers are also still waiting to see 2018 first rounder Vitali Kravtsov skate with the club and finally see what he can do on Broadway. The prior year’s first rounder also did not pan out well either. Lias Andersson is presumed to never join the Rangers again after several brief stints on Broadway.
Although the Kings are considered to have a vastly deep prospect pool that the Rangers could dip into, the New York asset management skills are still being polished. It would be a safer bet for the Rangers to keep their selection rather than try to acquire a few prospects if they trade down. The risk of multiple players not being able to turn into something substantial is too high in a draft as deep as this year’s to even consider it.
Where would Lafrenière play?
A quick glance at the Ranger roster shows a lack of centers. Lafrenière is not a center but he is a potential franchise player. This discrepancy should not be the grounds for trading the first pick. The depth of this Draft primarily boasts a range of centers, conveniently, the Rangers have another pick in the first round from Carolina.
The issue of where Lafrenière will play is a good problem to have. Despite the team being loaded on left wing, there can be some moves made. Although forward positions require different responsibilities, the team has enough highly-skilled players who can adapt to another wing. Artemi Panarin is a righthanded shot and could be moved to the right side. Moving Chris Kreider, a lefthanded shooter, is also an option.
When you see the organization also has a few pending Restricted Free Agents (RFA’s) such as Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, and Brendan Lemieux, the opportunity to make moves expands even more. Not only do the Rangers have a cluster of upcoming RFAs, they also have a surplus of goaltending.
No need to rush
The front office has some time to execute these types of moves with the draft scheduled for October 9. They should not be tempted into rushing to bundle a trade package with the first overall pick. Although another team would have to dangle a very gifted player for the Rangers to consider releasing the first pick, the club would most likely be adding another “older” player when they have a decently sized core of veterans as is. Further down the road, would the organization have the money to extend this player?
Let’s not forget that if a team offers up a decent player, there is no guarantee he will carry those numbers and that style of play to New York. Although coveted defenseman Jacob Trouba has had some highs since joining the team, there is no argument fans are waiting to see him replicate his style from his days as a Winnipeg Jet.
There will hopefully come a time when our younger crew has grown together as Rangers and be developed as skilled players. The organization is going to need to have that money to extend these players and pay them the deserved amount, otherwise they walk away to a team who can offer more.
Gorton and the rest of the front office has done a fine job since setting their sights on a franchise rebuild. Still, there are many question marks about players within the Rangers system.
One argument is that if we obtain prospects in exchange for the pick they will prosper playing alongside the current stars of the Rangers, but has that been the case with all the young assets we have now? The Rangers are already one of the youngest teams in the NHL
The safe route
No doubt Lafrenière is a much safer route. The 6’1 winger has excellent I.Q. on the ice and has no hesitation attacking the goal. In his draft year, he played in 52 games scoring 35 goals and collected 77 assists for a total of 112 points.
It is no secret Stanley Cup winning teams are composed of seasoned players. The dream for New York is to have a deep and extremely intuitive squad of players who have played alongside each other long enough to boost the hockey intellect as a whole.
The Rangers are laying down the foundation for a Stanley Cup Champion team. Part of that vision is keeping the pick to see that Alexis Lafrenière comes home to New York City.
Related Story. Second 1st round pick position getting closer. light