The New York Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have finally come to an agreement as Lafreniere signed a two-year deal worth $4.65 million with an AAV of $2.325 per. As the off-season is coming to a close, there was a lot of talk about whether the Rangers would sign Lafreniere or if his time in New York had ended. Over the course of his three seasons with the Rangers, Lafreniere has found himself playing on any of their four lines but spent the bulk of his time on the third line with Kappo Kakko and Filip Chytil, and his production has not been what everyone expected out of the 2020 First Overall Pick. In 216 games with the Rangers, the 21-year-old winger has put up 47 goals and 41 assists for 91 points and added two goals and seven assists for nine points in 27 career Stanley Cup Playoff Games.
One of the biggest factors for the Rangers and Lafreniere heading into the 2023-24 season the Rangers have a new head coach in Peter Laviolette, which should hopefully help with Lafreniere being demoted to the fourth line and then scratched for a game by former Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant. It will be interesting to see where in the lineup Lafreniere is playing come opening night as Lafreniere will look to get more ice time after averaging 15:13, which was the most he’s had in his three years with the Rangers as he finished the season with 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 81 games, the 39 points were a career-high for Lafreniere.
