Alexis Lafrenière hits 100 goals: The milestone that exposes the Rangers' No. 1 pick reality

One key takeaway from the New York Rangers' exhilarating and much needed 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals was Alexis Lafrenière eighth goal of the 2025-26 season which also happened to be the 100th of his NHL career to date. Hitting 100 goals as a pro is a significant milestone, but it is a bittersweet moment of reflection for Rangers fans who are once again being confronted with the reality of who Lafrenière is as a player.

Alexis Lafrenière 100th goal in context

Lafrenière was a no-brainer to be selected No. 1 overall in 2020, and anyone who tells you different is lying. It is easy to second guess in hindsight, but his track record spoke for itself. His goal tonight came in his 419th career game, and here's a look at some other notable top picks, and how long it took them to reach this milestone.

• Alex Ovechkin - 167 games
• Auston Matthews - 187 games
• Ilya Kovalchuk - 192 games
• Steven Stamkos - 194 games
• Sidney Crosby - 219 games
• Rick Nash - 227 games
• John Tavares - 233 games
• Jack Hughes - 267 games
• Taylor Hall - 271 games
• Patrick Kane - 303 games
• Nico Hischier - 358 games
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - 390 games

Do the Rangers, and fans, just need to be a little more patient?

When looking at this list, it is easy to get discouraged and down about Lafrenière and what he's become. But considering it is the holiday season, I am going to try and make you feel good by trying to find the silver lining. It may involve some copium, but I said I was trying to be positive!

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the last name on this list, and it is fair to say that he was looked at as a bit of a bust of a first overall pick. Through his first 419 games, RNH had 105 goals, 172 assists, and 277 points while averaging 19:15 a night which put him firmly in first-line territory. Lafrenière is up to 100-112-212 while averaging 15:45 a night which is third line territory. If you were to extrapolate the difference of ice time per game between the two, it's as if RNH has played over 20 additional games.

The biggest difference between the two is that a fledgling Oilers squad gave "Nuge" the keys to the offense from the beginning as a No. 1 center, and he was involved on the power play in a big way. Of those 277 points, 94 came on the power play, whereas Lafrenière has just 18 power play points in his career to date.

It can be debated whether or not it is an issue of Lafrenière being good enough or not being given enough time, but the lack of points there certainly changes the perception of him as a player. He got his start as a third-line winger, and with players like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin among others in the fold, there was no reason to mess with a good thing to try and get Lafrenière going.

It is important to note here that of the 100 goals, 91 have come at even strength for Lafrenière, and the remaining nine are on the power play. RNH had 68 even strength goals, and 37 power play goals. Strong production at 5v5 is looked at favorably, and on that front he comes out ahead. Lafrenière also edges out Nuge 1.81 to 1.62 in terms of even strength points per 60 minutes of ice time.

In terms of general progression, Lafrenière's per season averages have gone 0.38, 0.39, 0.48. 0.70, 0.55, 0.51 points per game from age 19 to 24. RNH started at 0.84 and his subsequent seasons include 0.60, 0.70, 0.74, 0.62, and 0.52 points per game from age 18 to age 23. RNH hit it big for the first time with 104 points during the 2022-23 season which was his 12th year in the league. He has since followed that up with 67 points in 80 games, 49 points in 78 games, and he's got 30 points in 28 games thus far at age 32.

The above is a long way of saying that even though it appeared RNH was a certain type of player, he eventually got to a point where he was able to have a breakout, he experienced a bit of a dip, and now he's back at a point per game pace that solidifies him as an upper-end top six player. He spent the better part of a decade in the 40 to 60 point range, and that is essentially what Lafrenière has shown to be. The Rangers' patience could run out at some point, and if they were to trade him it would be justified.

Rangers might be better off just riding it out while they try and win

The Rangers have held onto Lafrenière up to this point, and as they try and figure out the direction they are going to go in, it may not hurt to hold onto him a little while longer. At a bare minimum, they have a sense that in a world where the cap is increasing year over year that Lafrenière can be a strong contributor at 5v5 who gets 45 to 50 points. What they don't know is how he might react in an enviorment where he can be a main driver outside of Artemi Panarin's shadow. There's a chance this could be Panarin's final season on Broadway, and if that's the case, why not see if Lafrenière can embrace the challenge of being the guy next season?

With all of that said though, it is good that Lafrenière hit this milestone eventually. If he's able to go from 100 goals to 200 goals in significantly fewer games, that would be a great for him and the Rangers. As things stand he is sixth on the current team in goals and seventh in points, and with J.T. Miller sidelined he has a chance to step up and change the conversation about who he is as a player.