Much needs to go right for the New York Rangers to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this coming season. Such is the case after missing the postseason in back-to-back seasons and finishing 30th overall and last in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26.
But one of the bright spots down the stretch of that lost season was the improved play and production by Alexis Lafreniere. If that carries over into 2026-27, the Rangers should be better positioned to contend for a playoff berth.
Lafreniere took off after coach Mike Sullivan put him on a newly-formed top line with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault. The chemistry was pretty much instant and let the Rangers quickly move on from their annual scoring leader Artemi Panarin, whom they traded to the Los Angeles Kings in February.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick totaled 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in the final 27 games of the season. He tied for second on the Rangers with 57 points, equaling his career-high total from 2023-24.
Always a consistent play driver in six NHL seasons, Lafreniere started to use his size (6-foot-2, 191 pounds) to get to the net more often, both at even strength and on the power play. That resulted in more deflections and rebound goals for Lafreniere.
That wasn’t his MO when he lit it up offensively back in juniors, and he still has the ability to score off the rush, for sure. But something appeared to click with the Quebec native late last season — perhaps simply a willingness to adjust his game.
“He’s always had great hands for deflections and stuff. It’s really weird, and I was part of the folks who saw him in junior and thought it would translate [to the NHL}, but he had to turn himself into a different player,” NHL Network prospects analyst Russ Cohen told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “I think the part I missed on was that he wasn’t going to get fast enough to do those same things that he was doing in juniors.
“So, now he had to get a little tougher, get grittier, get closer to the net, and he’s been doing that the past few seasons. I think that’s why the team hasn’t given up on him — because he kind of re-formulated his game.”
Remember, we’ve been here before buying into a Lafreniere breakout. He scored a career-high 28 goals in 2023-24, and then tied for the Rangers lead with eight goals in their postseason run to the Eastern Conference Final. That landed him a seven-year, $52.15 million contract extension, but was followed by largely disappointing results for next season and a half.
“I think we’re seeing Sullivan figuring him out, probably taking him aside and telling him ‘this is what your strength is. I want to play up to your strengths,’” Cohen explained.
Some see a 70- or 80-point season ahead for Lafreniere, who’s arguably hitting his prime — he turns 25 in October. But as much as Cohen likes Lafreniere’s progress, his expectations are not nearly as high.
“I think 60 [points] is where he is at,” he predicted.
Is 60 points from a top-line forward enough of an impact for the Rangers in their playoff push? If it coincides with substantial growth in Perreault’s production, in his second season, and Zibanejad holds true to form, it’s certainly a good start.
Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny
