Some of the best players in the NHL today were drafted No. 1 overall, and while there's no telling how long it will last, Alexis Lafrenière is currently the league's top player in a very important statistic. The Rangers' No. 1 overall pick from 2020 found the back of the net twice in the first period of Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay, and in the process scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season.
His seventh goal, which was a beautiful breakaway set up by Tye Kartye, made him the league's top goal scorer.
KARTS WITH SLICK DISH & LAFFY PUTS HOME HIS SECOND OF THE GAME 😤 pic.twitter.com/bNkSggRKZd
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 13, 2026
Prior to his two-goal outburst, there was a five-way tie between Evan Bouchard, Sebastian Aho, Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, and Nick Schmaltz. This is something worth celebrating, while it lasts, because there's a chance a new leader may emerge tonight.
Tuesday marks another Frozen Frenzy night for the NHL, and every single team is in action with games starting within 15 minutes of each other. There's always the chance that Lafrenière adds on to his total, and also climbs higher for total points.
He now has seven goals and three assists for 10 points in eight games, and that puts him in a temporary tie for sixth in the league. Connor McDavid leads all skaters with 13 points, and then you have a tie for second that includes Jack Eichel and Evan Bouchard with 12 points a piece.
Lafrenière continues to be a bright spot for Blueshirts
The Rangers have been waiting for years to see Lafrenière play at this level, and they've seen flashes of it over the years. He was reinvigorated last year after Artemi Panarin was traded, and his post Olympic break was something that turned a lot of heads.
He went off for 19 points in 16 games in March, and when all was said and done he had 57 points which was a tie for his career-high to date. If you look at calendar year 2026 during the 2025-26 season, Lafrenière had 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 40 games which is a .925 points per game average. If you extrapolate that over a full season, that's a 78-point pace.
There's no telling how the remainder of this season will go, it has just started after all, but it is important to stop and celebrate the small victories. There's some perspective to be gained in the wake of Igor Shesterkin's season-ending injury, and with Lafrenière playing the way he is, it shows that all might not be lost after all.
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