Alexis Lafrenière has shown flashes of a Canadiens legend.
Alexis Lafrenière has shown flashes of a Canadiens legend.
It's no exaggeration to suggest that Alexis Lafrenière is looking more and more like Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau.
Here are the similarities:
Size; The burgeoning Ranger stands 6-1, 194 pounds, about the same as Beliveau.
Ethnicity: Both are French-Canadians.
Style: Beliveau was versatile and used his size to advantage. Ditto, Big Al.
But here's the real trick. Beliveau was a highly-touted Montreal rookie but it took him three seasons to find his game. Doesn't that sound a lot like Lafrenière? Sure does.
And now for the primary difference. Before ending his illustrious career, Beliveau played for ten – count 'em ten – Stanley Cup-winners. So far, Lafrenière hasn't even come close.
On the other hand, playing alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, Lafrenière has helped build the line into one of the NHL's best.
Working with fellow Hall of Famers Bernie Geoffrion and Bert Olmstead, Beliveau's unit ranked among the NHL's all-time best forward units.
"At 22," says The Old Scout, "Lafrenière has gotten hot at about the same time as Beliveau did in the 1950's. The thing is that Big Jean stood the test of time. We don't even know whether Alexis will stand the test of his next contract!"
Mark The Maven's words. GM Chris Drury won't lose his budding superstar no more than the Canadiens would ever have dared let Jean Beliveau leave their clutches.