The New York Rangers have certainly had many ups and downs this season at a variety of positions, both on offense and defense, but there's one particular spot on offense that has seen a bit of resurgence for one young star.
23-year-old Alexis Lafrenière has gotten back to his previous season totals, with a modest 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points in 71 games this season. It's comparable to his 2022-23 campaign, where he logged 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in all but one regular season game. The only question now is whether or not he'll once again reach the 80+ regular season games played mark for the third consecutive season, and since this is just Laffy's fifth season in the league, that'd be quite impressive. Impressive for himself and the Rangers as a whole as they try to claw back into an Eastern Conference wild card playoff berth with just 11 games remaining.
Right now, the Rangers do sit just one spot away from the final Eastern Conference wild card spot, with the Columbus Blue Jackets only one point ahead of them. New York is 34-31-6 overall on the season thus far. The Rangers have also scored 212 goals this season; New York definitely also finds themselves in a Metro Division mishmash, with their current season record similar to the likes of Columbus, cross-state rivals New Jersey and of course, their inter-state rival in the New York Islanders.
But back to Lafreniere. Early this season, the Quebecois wasn't like his usual self at all, struggling mightily on the offensive side of the puck. But in the last week, New York Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette, who may or may not keep his job after this season if there's no postseason hockey at the Garden, made a brief line change, placing Laffy alongside star right wing Mika Zibanejad and newly acquired center, Vancouver's J.T. Miller, arguably one of the league's best year after year. That really helped recharge Lafreniere's offensive prowess, something he's been known for at both the junior and professional levels.
Heck, last season was a career best for the guy, with 28 goals and 29 assists in all 82 regular season games, totaling an astonishing 57 points. And while Laffy may not quite reach those numbers this season, remember- he's had season totals like these before, so it won't be a complete off year.
The current projections from Elite Prospects have Lafreniere finishing the 2024-25 regular season with 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points, while also playing in all but one regular season games, something he's basically done for the last three seasons in his young career. And with the new line placement coupled with the confidence boost after his most recent goal, his first in 14 contests, who knows- he could even break that projection! And in the following seasons after this year, this young and mega talented Quebecois will surely become one of the New York Rangers' greatest ever players.