Keep it or trade it? Add your voice to the Lafreniere pick discussion

The debate over what the New York Rangers should do with their first overall draft pick is intense

No topic has generated more discussion than what to do with the first overall  pick in the NHL Draft.  When the New York Rangers won the lottery, the immediate focus was on Alexis Lafreneiere, but there is no doubt that other teams will try to steal the pick away from New York.

We’ve been speculating for days here at Blue Line Station with our contributors weighing in with their opinions.   Of  course, there is one key question.  How good is Lafreniere?  When observers say that he is a “generational” player and compare him to Nathan MacKinnon or Steven Stamkos, the answer seems obvious, keep him.  When folks from NHL Central Scouting compared him to Jonathan Huberdeau, the answer isn’t so clear cut.

The one sure fact is that there are a number of teams who are salivating at the idea of Lafreniere in their lineup.  Montreal is an obvious contender. They are desperate for a French-Canadian star.  They haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1993 when Patrick Roy was their goalie, Vincent Damphousse was their leading scorer and Guy Carbonneau was the team captain.  These days, Jonathan Drouin is not filling the skates of Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau or Yvon Cournoyer.

Ottawa has the assets to include in a trade including seven draft picks in the first two rounds.   Buffalo is looking to shake things up with an new management team and an unhappy Jack Eichel.  Edmonton, dreaming of Lafreniere on Connor McDavid’s wing  could be willing to make an aggressive move.  The Kings would love to add a marketing dream and marquee talent in Tinseltown.

The fact that Lafreniere is older and NHL ready is important.  The fact that the Rangers have a surplus of left wingers is also important. But the ultimate question is whether Lafreniere is untouchable?

There have been some names bandied about.  One rumor has the Canadiens ready to offer Nick Suzuki, Max Domi, Cole Caufield and their 16th overall pick in exchange.  Could Ottawa be persuaded to give up their third and fifth overall picks and other assets?   A swap of picks with the Kings could still net the Rangers the big center that they covet in Quinton Byfield along with other assets, say Staten Island native and scoring machine Arthur Kaliyev?

If Jeff Gorton was presented with these opportunities and could orchestrate a bidding war, does he make the deal?   If in exchange for a rare talent like Lafreniere, the Blueshirts could acquire as many as four young star players, it could set up the Rangers as an NHL dynasty.

If you want to catch up on some of the opinions and analysis from our contributors, here they are:

Click here for Will Wright’s in depth comparison between Byfield and Lafreniere.

Click here for Will Wright’s comparison between Lafreniere and other first overall picks.

Click here for Andrew Steele-Davis’ take on how Lafreniere would fit on Broadway.

Click here for Curtis Jetter’s take on what a Lafreniere addition would mean for Chris Kreider.

Click here for Brendan Azoff’s argument against any team trading the first overall pick.

Click here for Scott Esposito’s take on a possible trade and an Ottawa proposal.

Click here for Rachel Nones’ take on the options facing Gorton and Davidson.

Click here for my take on the effect Lafreniere would have on the Rangers’ lineup

Would you like to weigh in with your opinion about a trade, your feelings about Lafreniere or just let your imagination run wild and suggest a trade?  Send us an email at:

bluelinestation4ever@gmail.com

Try to keep your emails to  a reasonable length (a paragraph) and we’ll be back in a couple days and share your input about a possible trade.  Please note that we may edit a bit for length, but we won’t change the content. Include your name or “handle” and where you are writing from.

Also, feel free to vote in our unscientific Twitter poll.

What Jeff Gorton does with this draft pick could determine the future of the New York Rangers for the next decade.   While we can trust him to make the right decision, until he does, we’ll be talking about this for weeks to come. So, feel free to weigh in.