{"id":557117,"date":"2026-04-21T07:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557117\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:12:17","slug":"ny-rangers-forward-has-expectation-of-being-even-better-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557117\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Rangers’ Forward Has Expectation of Being Even Better Next Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Rangers have started up their summer and will be working hard to improve the team. As they go through a bit of a retooling, they will also hope some of their young talent continues to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was undoubtedly a frustrating season<\/a> for the Rangers,, with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. This was a team that was expected to be much better than the final record that they ended up with, and that has resulted in them missing the playoffs for the second straight year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a prestigious organization, missing the playoffs is not ideal, and the Rangers certainly don\u2019t want to be going through a lengthy rebuild. Fortunately, with one of the worst records in the league, they should be adding an impact player with the first of their two first-round draft picks. Furthermore, they have also created a lot of cap space to make improvements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Chris Drury and the coaching staff will be busy<\/a>, the team also will be expecting some of the players who performed better down the stretch to continue on that trajectory. One of those players is Alexis Lafreniere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“You trade some guys and other people have to step up. That’s how it is.”<\/p>\n

Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re talks about his increased responsibility after the Rangers’ trades: pic.twitter.com\/Ey7KAuaTt1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Even though it might feel like he was drafted just yesterday, Lafreniere is going to be entering his seventh season with the club. While the results have been mixed based on the very high expectations for the young forward as the first overall pick, he did have a solid campaign this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, with the team looking much different and likely more changes to come, it is Lafreniere who has become one of the veterans of the squad. To end the year, he was up on the first line with Mika Zibanejad, and after the Olympic break, he performed quite well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his last 25 games, he was able to total 25 points, with 12 goals and 13 assists. Being a point-per-game player during that stretch is impressive, and the team had to be pleased with how he played.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offensive production is going to be a key area for the team to address this summer, and having a player like Lafreniere continue to improve in that area would be helpful going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This season, he tied a career-high with 57 points on 24 goals and 33 assists. The 33 assists were a new career-best for him, and the 24 goals were the second-most that he has had in the season. Even though he has six years under his belt, there is reason to believe that he can improve, and he has high expectations for himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n