BE-LAF

BY MIKE RIFKIN

It’s been a horrendous season for the New York Rangers, who will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. But something good has come over since the Olympic break and that has been the play of former first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere, who is a lightning rod for Ranger fans has eight goals including a hat trick last night against the Flames and 13 points over his last nine games. 

One of the major reasons for the uptick in production from Lafreniere is the fact that he is benefiting from new linemates. Lafreniere is playing with Mika Zibanejad and 2023 first round pick Gabe Perrault. That line has had some real chemistry since being put together and it would be smart of Mike Sullivan to keep them together for the rest of the season. 

While people could be frustrated with the consistency of Lafreniere, keep in mind he is still only 24 years old (will be 25 in October). He should be someone looked at as part of the future solution to the New York Rangers. And yes, we have seen glimpses of this from Lafreniere before (2024 playoffs), when he plays with confidence, he gets a swagger to his game. That’s why Sullivan cannot break this line up and should go into next season with that as his top line. These last 15 games or so may not help the Rangers make the playoffs, but what we could be looking at is a glimpse into the 2026-27 season.