Alexis Lafrenière has been one of the most frustrating players for the New York Rangers the past few seasons. He has shown flashes of being a top line guy and the player the Rangers thought they were getting when they drafted him. But he's never able to consistently do it and has long stretches where he is a ghost on the ice. It is one of the reasons the Rangers have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. However this upcoming season presents Lafrenière with his best chance to break out. He will be getting top line power play minutes, which should help him breakout.
How top power-play minutes will help Alexis Lafrenière breakout
Lafrenière has been flirting with 30 goals the past few seasons. He came two goals short in 2023-24 and was six goals shy this past season. This initial jump was due to him playing on the power play, but he was never a consistent part of a unit. He was constantly moving between the first and second unit. This prevented him from getting comfortable or building chemistry with linemates. It could have also caused him to put too much pressure on himself to try and lock up a permanent spot.
But things will be different this season. He should be the left winger on the top power play unit for the whole season. He will be playing alongside J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox. This is a great spot for Lafrenière. These are some of the best power-play players in the league. Guys like Dorofeyev, Zibanejad, and Miller have built their careers off their power-play ability. They should create many chances. Lafrenière can easily capitalize on this and find at least five to ten more goals.
Being more productive on the power play will be a huge confidence boost for Lafrenière. Being a contributor on a unit that's producing offensively will put you in a good mindset. It will show him that he can do it at the NHL level and help him find the play style he had as a prospect. Ideally, this will help him become the point-per-game player we thought he would be. But more realistically, he will put up over 30 points and settle somewhere between 60 and 70 points.
Having Lafrenière score between 60-70 points will be a huge boost for this Rangers team. One of their biggest problems is the lack of young impact forwards. They have not had the young star who can put the team on his back. If Lafrenière has the season we expect, that problem will be a thing of the past. They will have three players in their top six who are age 25 or younger who can carry an offense. Making the future much brighter for the Blueshirts.
Having Lafrenière on the top power play could be what finally gets him to consistently live up to his potential. It could be what helps the Rangers finally get back to the playoffs.
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