The New York Rangers and the Lafrenière lottery
By Rachel Nones
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.