So far, it has not been a good start to Alexis Lafreniere's career. No points in 6 games plus his play driving numbers have been brutal. He actually got off to a great start as his expected goals per 60 ranked in the 68th percentile while his expected goals against per 60 ranked in the 76th percentile. However, over the last 3 games, that has gone down significantly. He is now ranks 15th on his team in expected goals % and 11th in individual expected goals per 60.

Having watched his 2 games against the Penguins, I noticed that he is smart enough to get into the right places to take a chance, but his skill is not good enough to achieve results at the top level yet. He has the tendency to mishandle the puck or whiff on his shot.

I'm not going to consider him a bust just yet but it's been disappointing since he was hyped by fans and analysts as one of the most well-rounded forward prospects of the salary cap era. I think he needs to be stapled onto a line with Chytil or Blackwell for a consistent amount of time. Let him get comfortable against weaker competition while playing alongside a strong play driver. He needs more time to adjust to the skill level of the NHL.

What are your thoughts on Alexis' struggles so far?

Happy because if Laf was good rangers would be in the playoff race lol

He most likely would've been sent to junior by now if it was actually having a season

Not worried, NYR is struggling as a whole. IMO it's poor coaching

He's a rookie, the vast vast majority don't even start in the NHL. And he's on a subpar team, which isn't going to help him out. He'll be fine.

And as a general note, you'll drive yourself crazy judging expected goals numbers on a 2 and 3 game sample. The sample size just isn't there to get good data.

Remember how the comparison with Lafreniere was Huberdeau and Rantanen. People thought Huberdeau was a flop at first and it took a couple years for Rantanen's arrival (and current growth).

He probably just needs more size and strength for him to keep up to his style of play, he dominated juniors with his physique and strength over others -- the IQ is not in question, points will come

Kid's 19 years old. Give him a break. Everyone wrote off Jack Hughes last year and now he's tearing it up on the Devils.

You drop a 19 year old on a rebuilding team.

Junior would have done nothing for him. True. But there is something to be said about spending time in Hartford if they were playing.

The Rangers are thus stuck. No choices. He plays through it, or he sits - which would be brutal assets management.

Victim of circumstances I say.

Laf hasnt played in a while plus no training camp...this has to do with a lot of it

Not a rangers fan but not worried in the slightest. This is normal for a first overall pick.

He looks like a 19-year old rookie six games into his career. Be patient.

Just because Lias and Kravtsov busted, doesn't mean Laf will.

People are forgetting that there wasn't a pre-season. Normally he would've had four to six games to get his bearings.

First few games haven't been great, but his analytics aren't atrocious (his relative stats look terrible but being on the ice for 2 GF and 5 GA gives you a -31 GF Rel so maybe don't look at that just year), and the team is all over the place to start the season. I'm sure he'll pull together a decent stat line soon.

And no, he's not being traded to the Penguins.

Yeah in hindsight it’s hard to understand why Laf didn’t go play in Europe or the NCAA during his draft year. It probably would’ve helped him prepare for the tough competition & at least given him the chance to play in the AHL right away.

Yeah thats true. Player usage hasn’t been the best with all his d-zone starts and playing his off wing.

That’s true, if there was preseason & he didn’t look good, he would probably get sent back down or loaned to Europe.

TBH I don’t know if he needs more strength and size, he’s 6’2 and 200+ pounds, that’s pretty good for the NHL. What I feel he needs to improve is his skating speed and reactions. He looks awfully slow compared to his peers and is has trouble keeping up with the play.

Hughes was one of the top players last season in generating chances off the rush IIRC. His poor production was more of an issue with finishing and poor linemates.

Lafreniere’s skating isn’t in the same league as Hughes but he’s always been projected as the more well-rounded player. Yet he is struggling even worse.

Most players have growing pains when they jump into the NHL. That's why there's, at most, two to three 18-year-olds in the league every year. Lafreniere has never played games against men before, let alone the best players in the world. He'll be fine.

No?