{"id":483758,"date":"2026-02-22T11:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/483758\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T11:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:45:14","slug":"why-rangers-could-be-in-dark-place-with-former-top-pick-ahead-of-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/483758\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rangers could be in ‘dark place’ with former top pick ahead of trade deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Rangers News<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In the midst of a roster retool, the New York Rangers must make an important decision about the future of Alexis Lafreniere<\/a>. Is the 2020 No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft a long-term keeper and part of the core moving forward? Or do the Rangers cut their losses after six largely unfulfilling seasons \u2014 perhaps before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6?<\/p>\n

That the Rangers are in this position is brutal, of course. At age 24, Lafreniere should be right there with Igor Shesterkin<\/a> and Adam Fox<\/a> as the center of the Rangers universe, with the organization building around those three. But that\u2019s not the reality, since Lafreniere\u2019s failed to hold up his end of the bargain, especially after backsliding with his offensive production the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

The Rangers don\u2019t have to trade Lafreniere before this year\u2019s deadline, but must decide sooner rather than later if they\u2019re better off with, or without, him as a top-six fixture in their forward group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to Lafreniere, the question they have to ask themselves is, one, we know his value is probably as low as it\u2019s ever been, but they have to ask themselves if his value is as high as it\u2019ll ever be, which is a bit of a dark place to be if you are the Rangers,\u201d The Athletic\u2019s Peter Baugh told Forever Blueshirts<\/a> on the Rink Rap podcast. \u201cIs this guy going to raise his value any more in the next year, next two years. And I don\u2019t think you can say that he definitively will \u2014 he might, and those are the kind of conclusions they\u2019re going to have to reach and really think about. Because he hasn\u2019t helped his value each of the past two seasons after a really, really encouraging 2023-24 season.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are teams out there willing to get their hands on Lafreniere and give him an opportunity change of scenery elsewhere. After all, he is, you know, a former first-overall pick, and did score 28 goals in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

But, as Baugh alluded to, if the Rangers trade him now, it\u2019d be for pennies on the dollar. And the other part is that the Rangers don\u2019t want to deal him if they truly believe he can still become a star on Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think it comes down to that question: Do they think his value is going to go up, stay the same or go down? If it\u2019s stay the same or go down, then you have to seriously consider trading him now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It feels like a potential Lafreniere trade best takes place in the offseason, rather than before this year\u2019s trade deadline. However, if the Rangers hierarchy has significant doubts about Lafreniere, they must act accordingly and move him during this retool phase.<\/p>\n

His contract is not an impediment to either keeping or trading him. Lafreniere is in the first season of a seven-year, $52.15 million contract<\/a>, signed early last season after his impressive 2024 postseason run, when he tied for the Rangers lead with eight goals in 16 games. That $7.45 million annual salary is certainly digestible, and it comes without trade protection until July 1, 2027. At that point \u2014 and through the rest of his contract \u2014 Lafreniere has an eight-team no-trade clause.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo \u2026 you\u2019re under no pressure, you don\u2019t have to trade him now. He\u2019s under contract,\u201d Baugh explained. \u201cPeople refer to that contract as an albatross or whatever. That\u2019s a fine contract. With the [salary] cap going up, that\u2019s what the going rate for a second-line winger\u2019s going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexis Lafreniere, Rangers share blame for where former top pick is at: \u2018failure in multiple parts\u2019<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Lafreniere is as polarizing a player as there is in the NHL. Supporters point to his consistently strong underlying metrics \u2013 his 53.95 percent expected goal share this season leads all Rangers forwards, per Natural Stat Trick<\/a> \u2014 high-end skill, and that breakout 2023-24 season (28 goals, 57 points). Detractors focus on his lack of results and drop-off in production the past two seasons, plus often disinterest in playing a 200-foot game.<\/p>\n

Last season, Lafreniere backslid to 17 goals and 45 points. This season, he has 12 goals and 32 points in 57 games, though he\u2019s tied for third on the Rangers with 26 even-strength points. Yet, it all feels so underwhelming, especially with the Rangers in last place<\/a> and set to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season.<\/p>\n

And those moments like the three-assist performance outdoors against the Florida Panthers at the Winter Classic<\/a> in Miami on Jan. 2, or the two-goal, three-point outing against the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly before the Olympic break? They feel like a tease, more of an anomaly than a harbinger of things to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think some of it the player needs to look inward, and the team has to look inward. It\u2019s probably a failure on multiple parts,\u201d Baugh shared. \u201cI don\u2019t think he went into the past two seasons thinking he wasn\u2019t going to perform the way he wanted. I think there\u2019s probably accountability to go around, of how a player can take steps back like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bu this is the Rangers\u2019 reality as it pertains to Lafreniere. Whether before March 6 or during the offseason, the Rangers must decide which fork in the road to take. Trade him. Or keep him as part of your core.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tJim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny<\/a><\/p>\n

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