For the New York Rangers, there has been a lot of noise recently regarding forward Alexis Lafreniere. A lot of fans and folks across the hockey world have wondered if the recent scratch of Lafreniere and his demotion to the fourth line in the last game he played warrants the discussion of a trade. While I would like to say that I do not think they move Lafreniere or that moving him is a good idea, it is a conversation to be had.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast that it is very unlikely that the Quebecois winger will be moved and that this is just how the Rangers coaching staff plans to get a message through to the first overall pick from 2020. New York seems to want to retain the services of the young winger. This is the right decision and it involves a little bit of common sense but that has done nothing to stop the speculation about Lafreniere’s future.
In theory, this would leave the Rangers in an interesting position. A former first-overall pick that could be dealt while still on his entry-level contract will have the entire hockey world interested in picking up his services. While the ensuing bidding war would be enough to get the Rangers the GDP of a middle-income country, It should bode well for the Blueshirts if there was interest from the organization to move Lafreniere.
Thankfully, we know that isn’t the case, but what if it had been deemed to be the case? What if the Rangers decided today that the pending restricted free agent is not worth developing anymore and it is time to cut ties and move him to a new home? There would be a ton of interest as I previously stated given Lafreniere’s pedigree coming out of Juniors. It’s a fun theoretical debate to have.