This was a little bit better. Alexis Lafreniere’s work in Thursday’s final preseason game was at least representative.
But until then, the truth that No. 13 had not earned a top-six assignment through his work through training camp was self-evident. One can argue that the lad from Saint-Eustache has not even earned a spot on the roster.
I, much like Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck when Kirk Gibson went deep against Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, cannot believe what I saw. Granted the opportunity to nail down a top-six spot at right wing, Lafreniere seems to be shrinking under the low wattage of the preseason.
It’s not that Lafreniere — who will turn 22 the day before the Oct. 12 opener in Buffalo — hasn’t looked like a first-overall draft selection on the verge of a breakout season, it’s that for the most part Lafreniere has looked like an undrafted invitee to training camp on a tryout. Matt Rempe — a sixth-round pick in 2020 — made more of a positive impression before he was sent out to Hartford last weekend.
There is no logical explanation for this. It could not be more clear that the hierarchy and head coach Peter Laviolette want Lafreniere to succeed. They want him to nail down that top-six spot on Mika Zibanejad’s right. And if we are talking about truths that are self-evident, the Rangers need Lafreniere in that spot.
The ongoing absence of Filip Chytil with an unidentified upper-body injury that has prevented him from skating with the team since the fourth day of camp has created a significant issue. The Blueshirts had intended to give Chytil the opportunity to center the second line with Artemi Panarin on the left and either Lafreniere or Kaapo Kakko on the right.
That would allow the team to slide Vincent Trocheck into a hybrid third-line role, with Blake Wheeler on his right and, hopefully, Will Cuylle on the left.
In Thursday’s 3-1 defeat to the Bruins to wrap up a 1-5 preseason, Kakko skated with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad while Lafreniere was on right wing on the second unit with Panarin on the left and Goodrow — a placeholder for Chytil — in the middle. That might auger well for No. 72 to make a return over the weekend.
Here’s the reality: If Lafreniere cannot nail down a top-six spot on the right, Wheeler would likely get the assignment. And that’s too much to ask of the 37-year-old who is also on the second power-play unit. Wheeler can certainly move up in the rotation for a short stretch, but the Blueshirts don’t want him up there on a permanent basis.
Plus this: If Lafreniere — who finished with one assist in four exhibition outings — has to reprise his role as third-line left wing, there is no place for Cuylle, who has earned his way onto the opening night roster and into the opening night lineup.
I believe in running a team as a meritocracy. I believe in players earning their ice time and earning a power-play assignment. Of course, veterans build credit that should be honored, but only to an extent. No one should be given minutes because of the size of a paycheck or selection order in a draft.
Again, Lafreniere has not earned a top-six spot. He has seemed paralyzed. My best information is that the Rangers were pleased with his results on his testing on and off the ice. There is no indication that he was lazy over the summer. But his work has not translated onto the ice.
And do you know what I would do in response? I would break my rule. I would assure Lafreniere that he has a top-six spot. I would tell Lafreniere to relax. I would tell him there is no reason to look over his shoulder.
And to go out and play.
For the most part, Lafreniere has hidden his frustration, he’s hidden his anger, he’s hidden his disappointment over the first three years of his career that, for one reason or another — maybe 1,000 reasons — has not lived up to expectations.
Here he is, 2020’s prize of the lottery and prize of the draft, entering the first season of a two-year contract worth an annual average value of $2.325 million per while draft classmate Tim Stutzle (third-overall) is on the first season of eight-year deal for an AAV of $8.35 million per and classmate Jake Sanderson (fifth-overall) signed an eight-year extension for an AAV of $8.05 million per that kicks in next season.
Could that be part of the clutter in his mind that he brought into camp? I don’t know. What I do know with reasonable certainty is that he never asked out of New York during his past summer as a restricted free agent.
The Rangers need Lafreniere. They need him to produce in a top-six role. They most certainly do not need Lafreniere to become a migraine headache. They cannot have Lafreniere become the pink elephant in the room, dominating the discourse inside and outside the organization.
They need Lafreniere to breathe.
Just breathe.
