The Rangers have opened the season looking like a different team, and Alexis Lafreniere has been right in the middle of it.
New York is 6-2 and has turned an offseason full of changes into real early results. After finishing last in the Eastern Conference a year ago, the Rangers came into this season trying to force their way back into the playoff picture, and so far they’ve answered that challenge. At home, they’ve been especially sharp, going 5-0 at Madison Square Garden after struggling there badly last season.
A big part of that turnaround has been the growth of the younger players, and Lafreniere has been the standout. Through eight games, the former first overall pick leads the team in both goals and points with 10 points, seven goals and three assists. He’s also riding a four-game goal streak, which is a career high.
That kind of production is obviously not sustainable over an entire season, but the early pace jumps off the page. Lafreniere is on pace for 105 points and 73.5 goals in the new 84-game season.
Even if the goals come back down to earth, the Rangers would take a season built around that kind of offensive jump. If Lafreniere can stay anywhere near a point-per-game pace, New York will like its chances.
What’s been notable is that he’s done this while spending time on both the first and second line. The role changes haven’t slowed him down, and that’s a good sign for a Rangers team that wanted more scoring punch entering the year.
For now, Lafreniere is giving them exactly that. The numbers are eye-catching, the streak is alive, and his play has helped fuel New York’s strong start.
In Other News...
Rangers Humiliated By Devils As A Familiar Concern Returns
The Rangers left Prudential Center with a result that quickly turned into damage control, falling 7-1 to the Devils in a game that unraveled after a late first-period opener. New York never found much footing from there, and Pavel Dorofeyevs third-period goal only softened the final line on a night when the margin kept growing and the game moved further out of reach.
Dylan Garand got the start in net, but the early pressure from New Jersey forced the Rangers into a familiar place they would rather avoid. Once the Devils settled in, they poured it on through the middle and final periods, and the kind of comeback hope that sometimes flickers in an NHL game never really materialized for New York. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Have A Pavel Dorofeyev Problem Mike Sullivan Can't Ignore
The Rangers have kept rolling even without Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Dorofeyev, but the latter has become a bigger talking point by the day. Dorofeyev has labored through a difficult season, and the team has already tried to spark him by moving him onto the top line, hoping a change in responsibility and surroundings would help him find his footing. For now, its another case of New York trying to keep its forward mix productive while one of its more prominent pieces searches for a rhythm.
Mike Sullivan is not treating the situation as static, either. Further line changes are on the table if Dorofeyev does not show more, and there is growing pressure on how long the club can keep waiting for the offense to catch up. The real issue is less about one cold stretch than what comes next if it continues, because the Rangers have to decide how much patience to show before they start making tougher choices with his role. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers' Fast Start Is Making This Team Feel Different Already
Early returns around Madison Square Garden have given the Rangers a noticeably different feel, and the chatter is coming from more than just the usual optimistic corner of the fan base. A Rangers supporter, an NHL scout and a podcast co-host have all pointed to the teams improved shape on the ice, with the defense looking sharper and more of the roster pulling its weight in the opening stretch.
The changes go beyond a hot start from a familiar core, too, because observers are already connecting the dots between the offseason reshaping of the roster and the way the team is playing now. There is still plenty of season left to learn how durable this version really is, but the early signs have been enough to make people around the team wonder whether the Rangers have found a faster, more connected identity than they had a year ago. [Read more 🡒]