Alexis Lafrenière has one year remaining on his contract as he is set to become a restricted free agent next offseason. The big question now is when will the Rangers sign Lafrenière to a contract extention and lock him up long term in New York? It’s really a matter of when the Rangers will sign Lafrenière, not if. However, there are a couple of things the organization has to take care of first. Sean Avery Illustrates Rangers Perfect Shift "I have no doubt Lafreniere will sign a new contract with the Rangers at some point," Dan Rosen of NHL.com wrote. [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-fan-mailbag-august-21] "They won't lose him. He's a huge part of their present and future. But New York's cap structure for next season and several beyond will be determined by goalie Igor Shesterkin's next contract. Shesterkin also has one year left on his current contract. He needs to be the top priority, before Lafreniere and defenseman K'Andre Miller, who also has one year left on his contract, are taken care of." There is no doubt that Lafrenière’s upcoming contract extension is extremely important, but Igor Shesterkin is the face of the franchise and Chris Drury must make sure he is taken care of. The one thing that the Rangers do have to be aware of though is that Lafrenière is only getting better, which means his value should increase significantly. This past season, the 22-year-old forward recorded 28 goals, 29 assists and 57 points in 82 games. With the salary cap expected to rise next offseason, it’s critical the Rangers finalize extensions for Shesterkin, Lafrenière and K’Andre Miller sooner rather than later. The Rangers have some big decisions to make and they won’t be easy ones.
