Winger Alexis Lafreniere is only 23-years-old but is making quite the impression in helping the Rangers improve their season record.
Although he could certainly be more appreciated by the Rangers' fan base, "Laffy Taffy" is currently riding a four game point streak. He is red hot — recording two goals and three assists since Jan. 19th. With a total so far of 30 points, Lafreniere is currently the fourth team-leader on the roster.
Not to mention, while he's recorded five points over the past four games he has also totaled nine points since the start of 2025.
Laf with the dish + Troch buries it. pic.twitter.com/UPeWOacJtZ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 26, 2025
"I think he actually built a year that gave him the confidence. I thought he was a top player for us in the playoffs. He was executing at a high level and then coming into this year he seems to have picked up where that left off," Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette previously said on Lafreniere. "He will probably continue to grow as a player. He's still a young player. There's still so much room for growth inside of his game."
On Jan. 28th, 2021, Lafreniere scored his first National Hockey League goal in overtime. The gam-winner concluded a 3-2 victory on the road against the Buffalo Sabres.
Lafreniere was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Blueshirts after a standout career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In three QMJHL seasons, the Quebec, Canada native scored 297 points (114 goals, 183 assists) in 173 games.
His league career began to blossom during the 2023-24 season, when he scored at least 20 goals for the first time and had his first hat trick in the League against the then-active Arizona Coyotes.
He is now the seventh player in Rangers history with five points in a game at age 22 or younger and first since Brian Leetch on Feb. 17, 1989.
The Contract
The breakthrough earned Lafreniere a seven-year, $52.15 million contract he signed with the Rangers on Oct. 25, 2024. Although some are dissappointed with the contract, the Rangers' front office felt he deserved an average annual value of $7.45 million set to begin the following season.
Linemate Vincent Trocheck said Lafreniere has the potential to be one of the top wingers in the NHL.
"I mean, he's an elite right winger and I think he has the potential to be top 20, top 10 in the League," Trocheck said following the recent announcement of Laffy's contract. "I think him and 'Bread' (Panarin) are very similar in a lot of ways. Where you've seen Bread at is probably 'Laf's' ceiling. I think points-wise, he can get up to 100 points. Obviously, he's shown the scoring touch. I think he can score 30 goals in this league, maybe more. I don't want to put a cap on it because I feel there is so much he's capable of."
Where Fans go from Here
Nobody is denying that $52.12 is a lot of money. But the fact is that Lafreniere is fun to watch on the ice has had a recent spike in offensive productivity. It's time for fans to stop talking about whether he deserves the contract and to simply watch him play.