One of the most frustrating players on the Rangers is Alexis Lafrenière. Despite being one of the most hyped prospects of the past decade, he has not been able to live up to the hype. Sure, he has shown flashes of that potential, but he has not been able to put together the star production over a full season. It has caused many to call him a bust, and some have even gone as far as to say the Rangers should trade him.
What makes his production even more frustrating is how the players drafted behind him have played. Guys like Tim Stützle have outperformed Lafrenière year after year. It is the type of player that the Rangers desperately need and would have liked with the first overall pick. But what if they did? What would have happened if the Rangers had drafted Tim Stützle with the first overall pick in 2020?
The Rangers shock the world on draft night and draft Tim Stützle
Let's go back to October 6th, 2020. Instead of going with the consistent first overall pick in Lafrenière, the Rangers made one of the most surprising decisions in recent history and drafted Stützle. This was first met with shock and anger from Rangers fans. Many are unhappy that they passed on what many thought to be a generational prospect. While Stutzle had promise nowhere close to what Lafrenière could be.
Stützle's time with the Rangers starts very similarly to Lafrenière's time. He would likely be stuck on the third line and getting bottom-six minutes in his rookie campaign. He would likely only put up somewhere between 20-25 points. The 2021-22 season would be much of the same, with Stützle finishing with a point total in the high 30s. The Rangers likely still make the playoffs, but the kid line would have Stützle at center with Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil on the wings.
But where things really start to get different is during the 2022-23 season. Instead of signing Vincent Trocheck, they allow Stützle to take on the role as the second-line center. They then would likely keep Andrew Copp or Frank Vatrano and put them on the wing. Stützle would be on the line with Artemi Panarin and whoever that veteran free agent is. This unlocks the potential that Stützle had. Sure he will not put up 90 points, but he likely be a 60-point player.
But unlike Lafrenière, Stützle is able to keep up this high point production. He would probably get promoted to the first line during the 2023-24 season due to Mika Zibanejad taking a step back. This will allow him to take another step forward and become the 70-80-point player we see from him now. This would give the Rangers a young franchise center to build around. They likely do not fall apart like they have the last few seasons, and do not trade for JT Miller. Opting instead to build the roster around Stützle.
Although Stützle's development would take longer than it actually did, he likely still would be the high-production center we see now. He also gives the Rangers the franchise center they have been missing.
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