Report: Rangers Close to Signing Lafreniere to Seven-Year, $52.15 Million Extension

Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images

Not long ago, many New York Rangers fans and people in the hockey world thought that Alexis Lafreniere was a bust.

That appears to no longer be the case. According to various reports and league sources, the Blueshirts and Lafreniere are close to finalizing a seven-year, $52.15 million contract extension.

The deal has yet to be finalized (as of 8:40 p.m. on Friday, October 25), but this is certainly good news for the player, the team, and their fans. Lafreniere, 23, has come a long way since the Rangers took him with the number one overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

He had high expectations from the get-go, and he initially struggled to find his footing in the league. He had just 52 points in his first two seasons combined (31 goals and 21 assists).

Lafreniere then had 39 points in his third season. While that point total was better, it still was not exactly what the Rangers and their fans were looking for from him.

Things changed for Lafreniere in a big way last season. New head coach Peter Laviolette put him in the top six on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.

Lafreniere went on to establish career highs in all offensive categories:

  • 28 goals
  • 29 assists
  • 57 points
  • Five game-winning goals
  • Six power play points
  • 217 shots in goals
  • 17:16 minutes of ice time per game

Lafreniere is off to another great start this season. He is currently (as of Friday, October 25) tied for third on the team in scoring with seven points on four goals and three assists.

Again, the deal is not finalized, but things are progressing in that direction, as it looks like Lafreniere will be a Blueshirt for the foreseeable future.

In this week's episode we discuss the Gavrikov signing, K’Miller trade, NYR’s outlook and more.How to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITRThanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
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  5. Fortune Telling w/ Joe Fortunato

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Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

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