Multiple sources have reported that the New York Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have agreed to a two-year, $4.65 million bridge deal.
It's not a secret anymore how important this season is for Alexis Lafreniere. Now that it is being reported that he has officialy agreed to terms with the Rangers, it is time for him to prove himself.
The $2.3M per year for two years, is exactly what everyone suspected the deal would be.
Playing under Gerard Gallant might not have been the most ideal situation for him, but at least now he has a new contract, along with a new coaching staff which essentially is making this a fresh start for Lafreniere.
Mike Rupp said it best, it's sink or swim time. The Rangers and their fans have been itching for the 2020 #1 overall pick to find his footing in the NHL.
Below is the full clip of Rupp discussing Lafreniere:
Lafreniere is heading into his fourth NHL season and has yet to surpass the 40-point mark. As disappointing as that may sound, anyone who has watched the Rangers over the last three seasons understands that Lafreniere has had limited opportunity. With that being said, in those three years, he has still managed to have the third most even-strength goals on the Rangers, tallying 44, only trailing Artemi Panarin (49) and Chris Kreider (56).
Not all NHL players develop at the same pace, but playing in the spotlight of New York City doesn't help the case for Lafreniere. This is a sports city that isn't very patient, but the situation that this particular #1 overall pick fell into wasn't one that was very typical. The left winger had to try and beat out Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin for top-six minutes, which wouldn't be an easy feat for anyone.
One thing about Lafreniere that hasn't helped his case was his lack of consistency. There were some spurts here and there of what his potential could be, but he was unable to find that extra gear on a night-to-night basis.
Hopefully, under a coach like Peter Laviolette, Lafreniere can have that extra kick in the behind that might need to get himself fired up every time he steps out on the ice. He appears to have this goofy, happy-go-lucky kind of mentality not only in his life off the ice but in his body language on the ice. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just implying that it could maybe fly under Gallant, but it most likely will not under Laviolette.
At the end of the day, for Lafreniere to be successful in New York it will all come down to consistency. He can't just be great for one game and then take the next one off.
This is the start of a new chapter for not only him but for the Rangers and hopefully, he is able to find a new gear.