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