[NYPost] Alexis Lafreniere’s preseason has been unfathomably bad — here’s what Rangers should do about it
October 5, 2023
[NYPost] Alexis Lafreniere’s preseason has been unfathomably bad — here’s what Rangers should do about it
18 comments
Here’s a thought: the preseason doesn’t actually mean a lot, especially since we don’t know what players are trying to work on during these games tbat don’t count in the standings
Preseason.
We talkin bout preseason.
Not the season.
Preseason.
The issue has always been his confidence. Go back and rewatch his pregame interview before his very first game. He basically said he wants to get off the ice as fast as possible. The kid has been playing scared his entire tenure in the nhl. I doubt he magically finds his confidence this season either.
He’ll be an annual softie on this team. I don’t think he’s transitioned to NYC and the subsequent spotlight very well. And it unfortunately happens. It just sucks when it’s your no. 1 pick but the place isn’t for everyone. I think the team missed his prime trading window too, I’m mentally preparing for the worst with him.
Can brooks just retire already?
>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.
So can we put this “Laf is lazy and doesn’t care” narrative to bed now
It’s pretty simple. If NYR wants him to go off on the score sheet, then they have to play him more than they have been (13 min 5v5 a night) and with the team’s best talent. The D man he played the most with last year is Trouba, who [caves NYR in their own zone](https://twitter.com/JFreshHockey/status/1656680427438874626?t=QCRbLH1g5eut41rJT779zg&s=19) because he can’t move the puck. He played with Fox the 4th most. When Fox isn’t on the ice, [NYR offense completely deteriorates](https://twitter.com/DLefcort/status/1674607255814123520?t=H_0zpqZzpXTBUQfLM92gjw&s=19). Hard to put up points when you’re spending most of your time with 2 D men who can’t move the puck, instead of with arguably the best defenseman in the NHL. And when he did play with Fox, [it was great](https://hockeyviz.com/fixedImg/spider/2223/NYR/lafreal01/wrap). Best metrics of any D man he played with, as expected. And his metrics with Schneider and Trouba in the same graph were also expected
Oh god, this needs to stop already.
I seem to remember a year in the early 00’s where the islanders went undefeated in the preseason and their fans got hyped lol
Scared AND one dimensional?
Sounds like a true Ranger to me.
(I am a Ranger fan so save your debbie and fish stix comments – they embarrass you and the rest of us. Being a TRUE fan does NOT mean being in denial of reality. I love my mom more than I love Xena, Warrior Princes but I wouldn’t bet on my mother in that fight)
Surprised Brooks doesn’t want to trade him for Patrick Kane…
Lafreniere has better stats than Kaapo through their first three years. Yet somehow Kaapo is “poised for a big breakout” while Laf is looked at as a lost cause. Make it make sense
Everyone needs to calm down. Set your expectations low and hope for some improvement this year. He’s entering his 4th season and should get more ice time. Hopefully more in every facet including the PP. you can’t compare him to other 1OA because he is not going to light it up. Most of them don’t. Still a good chance he breaks out this year and he is very young.
I’m super frustrated with his performance this preseason and just general lack of development. But this preseason is about learning a new system, so no I’m not surprised that everyone has looked lost.
“Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad’s preseason has been unfathomably bad — here’s that the rangers should do about it”
This would also work here
Unfathomably bad? How many fucking stinkpieces is Brooks going to write about Lafreniere before the season even starts? It’s almost ALL he’s talked about all preseason. I don’t care what anyone says, getting upset because this guy hasn’t lit up the scoreboard under a new coach in a few preseason games is ridiculous. It’s ok to be worried about his play, but the guy is so hyperfixated and so hyperbolic about it that this is ABSOLUTELY going to be a Boyle situation because it’s borderline bullying at this point. Say what you want about Gallant, but he absolutely stood up for him early in the season where Walker and Brooks started circling him like buzzards. If we want him to improve, treating him as a lost cause and positively garbage after he had a 40 point season isn’t it.
Maybe he’ll figure it out, maybe he’ll be a perennial 40-50 point scorer, and frankly, that isn’t a bad place to be at, just obviously not at his draft position.
Good lord, being a Rangers fan is exhausting. I can’t imagine what’s it’s like to play for us and end up being the scapegoat of the season that everyone is going to pick on every time you don’t play like one of the best players on the ice. Every time we lose some moron is going to talk about Laf like he slept with his mom or something.
I am done also on this subject. If he can make it work great, if he can’t so be it. I am sad to hear Laf isn’t completely out of shape and is just having a tough go. Kind of seals the deal he isn’t the guy. If he was out of shape and fat then there was a excuse for him getting out hustled to the puck consistently this preseason.
He has been completely miscast on this roster since day 1 shift 1. Time to move forward. It is shit or get off the pot time for him. Either he will be successful and find it or he won’t. No more words. Prove it or let’s move on.
Let’s hope Laviolette plays Cooler and Ott a bunch tonight in a bunch of different scenarios. I hope Gustavsson gets alot of different looks. And hopefully one or all of them truly impresses. They are what this preseason game is all about. Their progression. If you are not going to play laf, then give those guys all the minutes they can handle. Throw out Kakko in a ton of different scenarios and see how he handles it. The Vets are not going to go all out for a preseason game. Give them 15 minutes tonight of short shifts to get their timing down, but seriously regardless of the score let the unknowns get a real shot at it.
Make the decision hard for a really bad GM.
Just a reminder not to click the Comments section in NY Post articles. If you like to not be annoyed.
I know someone has touched on this in the thread but the article basically consists of “Laffy has been unfathomably bad” and also “he should relax”. Talk about mixed messages. Total trash article. 🗑
18 comments
Here’s a thought: the preseason doesn’t actually mean a lot, especially since we don’t know what players are trying to work on during these games tbat don’t count in the standings
Preseason.
We talkin bout preseason.
Not the season.
Preseason.
The issue has always been his confidence. Go back and rewatch his pregame interview before his very first game. He basically said he wants to get off the ice as fast as possible. The kid has been playing scared his entire tenure in the nhl. I doubt he magically finds his confidence this season either.
He’ll be an annual softie on this team. I don’t think he’s transitioned to NYC and the subsequent spotlight very well. And it unfortunately happens. It just sucks when it’s your no. 1 pick but the place isn’t for everyone. I think the team missed his prime trading window too, I’m mentally preparing for the worst with him.
Can brooks just retire already?
>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.
So can we put this “Laf is lazy and doesn’t care” narrative to bed now
It’s pretty simple. If NYR wants him to go off on the score sheet, then they have to play him more than they have been (13 min 5v5 a night) and with the team’s best talent. The D man he played the most with last year is Trouba, who [caves NYR in their own zone](https://twitter.com/JFreshHockey/status/1656680427438874626?t=QCRbLH1g5eut41rJT779zg&s=19) because he can’t move the puck. He played with Fox the 4th most. When Fox isn’t on the ice, [NYR offense completely deteriorates](https://twitter.com/DLefcort/status/1674607255814123520?t=H_0zpqZzpXTBUQfLM92gjw&s=19). Hard to put up points when you’re spending most of your time with 2 D men who can’t move the puck, instead of with arguably the best defenseman in the NHL. And when he did play with Fox, [it was great](https://hockeyviz.com/fixedImg/spider/2223/NYR/lafreal01/wrap). Best metrics of any D man he played with, as expected. And his metrics with Schneider and Trouba in the same graph were also expected
Oh god, this needs to stop already.
I seem to remember a year in the early 00’s where the islanders went undefeated in the preseason and their fans got hyped lol
Scared AND one dimensional?
Sounds like a true Ranger to me.
(I am a Ranger fan so save your debbie and fish stix comments – they embarrass you and the rest of us. Being a TRUE fan does NOT mean being in denial of reality. I love my mom more than I love Xena, Warrior Princes but I wouldn’t bet on my mother in that fight)
Surprised Brooks doesn’t want to trade him for Patrick Kane…
Lafreniere has better stats than Kaapo through their first three years. Yet somehow Kaapo is “poised for a big breakout” while Laf is looked at as a lost cause. Make it make sense
Everyone needs to calm down. Set your expectations low and hope for some improvement this year. He’s entering his 4th season and should get more ice time. Hopefully more in every facet including the PP. you can’t compare him to other 1OA because he is not going to light it up. Most of them don’t. Still a good chance he breaks out this year and he is very young.
I’m super frustrated with his performance this preseason and just general lack of development. But this preseason is about learning a new system, so no I’m not surprised that everyone has looked lost.
“Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad’s preseason has been unfathomably bad — here’s that the rangers should do about it”
This would also work here
Unfathomably bad? How many fucking stinkpieces is Brooks going to write about Lafreniere before the season even starts? It’s almost ALL he’s talked about all preseason. I don’t care what anyone says, getting upset because this guy hasn’t lit up the scoreboard under a new coach in a few preseason games is ridiculous. It’s ok to be worried about his play, but the guy is so hyperfixated and so hyperbolic about it that this is ABSOLUTELY going to be a Boyle situation because it’s borderline bullying at this point. Say what you want about Gallant, but he absolutely stood up for him early in the season where Walker and Brooks started circling him like buzzards. If we want him to improve, treating him as a lost cause and positively garbage after he had a 40 point season isn’t it.
Maybe he’ll figure it out, maybe he’ll be a perennial 40-50 point scorer, and frankly, that isn’t a bad place to be at, just obviously not at his draft position.
Good lord, being a Rangers fan is exhausting. I can’t imagine what’s it’s like to play for us and end up being the scapegoat of the season that everyone is going to pick on every time you don’t play like one of the best players on the ice. Every time we lose some moron is going to talk about Laf like he slept with his mom or something.
I am done also on this subject. If he can make it work great, if he can’t so be it. I am sad to hear Laf isn’t completely out of shape and is just having a tough go. Kind of seals the deal he isn’t the guy. If he was out of shape and fat then there was a excuse for him getting out hustled to the puck consistently this preseason.
He has been completely miscast on this roster since day 1 shift 1. Time to move forward. It is shit or get off the pot time for him. Either he will be successful and find it or he won’t. No more words. Prove it or let’s move on.
Let’s hope Laviolette plays Cooler and Ott a bunch tonight in a bunch of different scenarios. I hope Gustavsson gets alot of different looks. And hopefully one or all of them truly impresses. They are what this preseason game is all about. Their progression. If you are not going to play laf, then give those guys all the minutes they can handle. Throw out Kakko in a ton of different scenarios and see how he handles it. The Vets are not going to go all out for a preseason game. Give them 15 minutes tonight of short shifts to get their timing down, but seriously regardless of the score let the unknowns get a real shot at it.
Make the decision hard for a really bad GM.
Just a reminder not to click the Comments section in NY Post articles. If you like to not be annoyed.
I know someone has touched on this in the thread but the article basically consists of “Laffy has been unfathomably bad” and also “he should relax”. Talk about mixed messages. Total trash article. 🗑