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The New York Rangers have reportedly signed restricted free agent winger Alexis Lafreniere to a two-year, $4.65 million deal, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick gets a bridge deal that will pay him $2.325 million over the next two seasons. This was the last move the Rangers needed to make this offseason, and the money comes in at about what it was expected to be.
The Rangers have an experienced core of players, with their top players like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider expected to do the heavy lifting. However, for the team to get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup, they need young players like Lafreniere along with Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil to develop into staples of the team.
Filip Chytil has developed into a solid offensive player, while Kaapo Kakko hopes to develop more scoring as he should get top six minutes this season, he seems to be a solid player possession wise and defensively as is. Lafreniere still has time, as he is just 21 years old, but the next two years will be a big determining factor for his career.
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Lafreniere put up a career-high 39 points last year, scoring 16 goals, according to Hockey Reference.. The hope is that he can cross that 60 point threshold at some point. What will help is potentially getting more opportunity in the top six and more power play time.
The left side is taken by Kreider and Panarin in the top six, but the right side could present an opportunity. Blake Wheeler is on the team, but is on a cheap deal as an older player.
It will be interesting to see how Lafreniere fares this season, and if he can increase his point total again to get closer to living up to the status of a former No. 1 pick.
