The New York Rangers have had a less-than-stellar preseason, which raises a lot of questions before the 2025-26 season. Obviously, there is no need to look too far into the preseason woes, as they don't count.
Looking at the squad that might be opening the Centennial season, there is one player who is drawing a lot of heat. Alexis Lafrenière is entering his sixth season in the NHL, and he might be entering a territory that not many first overall picks go to, which is being considered as a "bust".
But, from what we have seen in the preseason and training camp, there might be a saving grace here. Maybe we are looking at him completely wrong. Maybe, just maybe, he can develop a defensive game.
How can it help?
Lafrenière has spent some time on the left wing of the first line, alongside J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Having a little more of a defensive edge to his game might make that a perfect line.
Miller will be a steady and consistent centerman, as he showed last season in coming over from Vancouver. Couple that with the shiny new letter on his chest, and he might be the 1C that the Rangers have been searching for. Zibanejad will excel as well, as he now needs to do one thing and one thing only: score as many goals as he can.
That leaves Lafrenière, who is probably the most crafty and creative playmaker on this team. If he can try to keep control of the puck more, aid in the back-check, and help out both of the defenders, who are likely going to be Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, he can help this team immensely.
Lafrenière, the bust?
Entering his sixth year in the NHL, Lafrenière has appeared in 380 games. He has scored 92 goals, added 101 assists for 193 points. Not a terribly bad stat sheet, but for a first overall pick, it can be considered as underwhelming.
He has yet to reach the 60-point mark in any season, and there have been widely noted inconsistencies and a delayed adjustment to the NHL pace at the start of his career. But, during the 2023-24 Presidents' Trophy run, Lafrenière really turned a corner and looked like he was starting to blossom into a top-tier hockey player. He might be the miracle that Rangers fans prayed for.
But the entire 23-man roster and coaching staff failed in 2024-25. Lafreniere fell into a slump last season, only registering 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points with an average of 17 minutes per game. Not ideal.
The 2025-26 season can be one of two things for Lafrenière. Can he rise up and become a complete player, or can he fall behind even further? It was apparent in the last preseason game against Boston that he is going to give it his all to try to help out defensively.