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Why trading Lafrenière could happen

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 08: Alexis Lafreniere #13 of the New York Rangers skates against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden on November 08, 2021 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 08: Alexis Lafreniere #13 of the New York Rangers skates against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden on November 08, 2021 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Brennan Othmann #78 of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on September 28, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Brennan Othmann #78 of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on September 28, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The problem

Brennan Othmann turned 19 on January 5 so he is still young and would normally be a couple years away from making his NHL debut.  Except for the fact that he has already played on year in a pro league against players much older and he is dominating the OHL in his second full season in that league.

It’s very likely that the Rangers see Brennan Othmann playing in Hartford next season with a shot at making the big league roster.  He has already been signed to his Entry Level Contract (ELC) and could even get a brief look in Hartford at the end of this OHL season.

If Othmann is as good as advertised and is ready to make the leap to professional hockey that give the Rangers four, count ’em, four quality left wingers.  Two of them have ironclad, long term contracts while the third is a player who should be playing in the top six. The fourth is showing the potential that he should be a top six player.

And that is where trading Alexis Lafrenière becomes a possibility.

Trading the first overall pick

Teams just don’t trade the first overall pick, especially within the first four years of play in the NHL.  It’s only happened twice since the Ranger won their last Stanley Cup and once it was the top two picks traded for each other when Ottawa send Bryan Berard (#1) to the Islanders for Wade Redden (#2) in 1996 along with assorted other players.

The only time a first overall pick was traded within his first four years in the NHL was Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues who was traded in his third season to the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster deal that involved no fewer than four former first round picks.

So, if the Rangers are even considering trading Lafrenière it would be radical departure from the norm and would open them to second guessing for years to come.

In one way a trade makes a lot of sense.  It would open a path for Othmann to be the third line left winger, a role that he could easily assume, leaving Kreider and Panarin to occupy the top two slots for the next five years.  When Panarin’s contract expires at the end of 2026, Othmann will be all of 23 years old and ready to assume a top six role.

Meanwhile, in 2026 Lafrenière would be 25 years old and have six years in the NHL waiting for a  top six left wing slot open up for him.

A trade would take the heat off Lafrenière who has no immediate future in the top six unless they shift Kreider to the right wing, something that coach Gerard Gallant has been reluctant to experiment with.  It’s hard to argue with Gallant’s desire to stick with what got him to this point, the third best record in the NHL and Kreider atop the NHL goal scoring list.

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