The topic of Alexis Lafrenière is a complicated one for the New York Rangers. 

Lafrenière was touted as a generational talent going into the 2020 NHL Draft, so when the Rangers were gifted with the first overall pick, the organization didn’t hesitate to pick the Quebec native.

The expectations were that Lafrenière would blossom into a superstar talent and eventually become the face of the franchise. 

However, Lafrenière is currently playing in his sixth season, and while we’ve seen flashes of greatness, he’s yet to fully unleash that generational type potential. 

Mike Sullivan is Lafrenière’s fourth NHL coach, and he feels that the burden of expectations placed upon him is simply unfair. 

“I think sometimes there's an assumption that just because somebody's the first overall pick, they're a generational talent,” Sullivan said of Lafrenière. “And when they're not, then that's (disappointing)... And I don't think that's fair.”

The 24-year-old forward’s production to open up the 2025-25 campaign has been a bit underwhelming. He's recorded one goal, three assists, and four points in 11 games. 

Sullivan sees the talent in Lafrenière and continues to be impressed with certain aspects of his game, but he also knows there’s another gear Lafrenière could reach. 

"I think it's been a little bit of a mixed bag. I think he's had some games where he's had some strong games,” Sullivan said. “He's one of those talented guys that has the ability to create something out of nothing. We've moved him around our top six to try to find some combinations that we thought could help us create a little bit more finish to our game. But he's had a number of looks on the power play and 5v5...It's not like he hasn't had opportunities to score goals. 

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"Obviously, we have higher expectations just from a production standpoint. Our message to him is just make sure we're playing the game the right way, focus on the process. The byproduct of that will be you're going to get opportunity, and when opportunity presents itself, take advantage."

Will Lafrenière ever reach the standards people had for him before entering the NHL? We can’t determine that question right now.

Regardless though, the Rangers need Lafrenière to elevate his level of play, as he remains critical to their success now and in the future.