The Rangers have managed an 11-8-1 start even with Igor Shesterkin done for the season and a handful of important skaters sidelined. That kind of early turbulence usually exposes a team’s weak spots fast, and for New York, the biggest issue has been offense. The one forward who has consistently pushed back against that trend is Alexis Lafreniere.
Lafreniere has been the Rangers’ most productive forward through 20 games, and he’s doing it in a way that looks sustainable, not fluky. He has nine goals and 11 assists, and his line has regularly created chances at even strength. He’s been finding teammates with cross-ice passes, finishing his own looks, driving the crease, and using quick hands and an accurate shot to make defenses pay.
That production is a continuation of what he built late last season. After committing to backchecking and sharpening his defensive game in 2025-26, Lafreniere started slowly on the scoresheet.
Then he found chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault in the second half and took off. Over his final 27 games, he piled up 14 goals and 14 assists, and he finished the season with 24 goals and 33 assists in 82 games.
This year, he has picked up right where he left off. He has also become a real factor on the power play, where he’s winning puck battles and making the right read between shooting and passing.
That matters for a Rangers unit that has missed Artemi Panarin on the power play after Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings last season. Lafreniere, who spent many seasons on the second unit, has earned his place on the top group.
The defensive work has stayed part of the package, too. Lafreniere has continued to improve away from the puck, and that has made him useful late in games when the Rangers are trying to protect a lead.
His rise has come at a time when too many of New York’s other key pieces have been quiet. The team’s centers have combined for only nine goals in the first 20 games.
Zibanejad scored twice in the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Nov. 11 and now has five goals, while J.T. Miller has four.
Noah Laba has yet to score and has five assists in 20 games, and Joe Veleno has missed extended time with an injury. The fourth-line centers filling in for Veleno still haven’t scored a goal.
Mike Sullivan even tried moving Will Cuylle to center briefly to spark the third line.
The injury situation hasn’t helped either. Sean Durzi has missed six games with an upper-body injury, and rookie Alberts Smits is also out with an upper-body injury. Durzi had given the Rangers a second offensive defenseman, someone who could help on the power play and ease some of the burden on Adam Fox, who has been excellent this season.
All of that has made Lafreniere more important than ever. He was strong late last season, and he’s carried that form into this one.
After signing a seven-season, $52.15 million contract extension, he struggled in the second half of the year, but lately he has been playing like one of the Rangers’ best players. The challenge now is keeping this level going and avoiding the kind of slump that can change a season’s shape in a hurry.
In Other News...
Brennan Othmann Just Reopened A Rangers Debate Fans Never Settled
Brennan Othmann has put the Rangers back in a familiar conversation, one that tends to linger whenever a young player leaves New York with unfinished business. The former first-round pick has publicly made clear he was unhappy with the opportunities he got in New York, saying he felt his chances were not the same as what other players received, and that kind of frustration always lands differently when it comes from a prospect the organization once hoped would grow into more.
Since moving on to Calgary, Othmann has shown a little more offense, but the broader picture still looks unsettled. His production has trended downward from his junior days into the pro ranks, and while there has been some slight improvement with the Flames, he has yet to make a major imprint in games, leaving the Rangers with one more reminder of how quickly the debate around development can turn from internal patience to public second-guessing. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Are Betting On An Unproven Goalie Plan To Hold Up
Igor Shesterkins season-ending lower-body injury forced the Rangers into a goaltending reset they did not plan on, and for now the team has leaned on a rookie-veteran pairing to keep things afloat. Dylan Garand has been thrust into a much larger role than anyone expected, while Joonas Korpisalo has been part of the mix as New York tries to navigate the stretch without its No. 1 goalie.
The unusual setup has not derailed the Rangers ability to stay in the race, which is why the early returns have mattered so much. Head coach Mike Sullivan has said he believes the two can share the workload and keep the team competitive, and the bigger question now is whether this makeshift plan can hold up long enough to matter when the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Mika Zibanejad Gave The Rangers Exactly What They Needed
The Rangers got the kind of lift they have been waiting for in a 3-1 win over the Flames, and Mika Zibanejad was at the center of it. He scored twice, including once on the power play, giving New York a needed spark in a game where goals were at a premium and special teams mattered. Adam Klapka got Calgary on the board with a power-play goal of its own, but the Rangers had enough response to control the night.
Tye Kartye added the empty-net goal to finish it off in the closing moments, turning a tight one-goal margin into a more comfortable final. For a Rangers team that has been looking for more from its top end, Zibanejads night stood out not just for the finish, but for the timing of it, with the kind of production that can settle a group down and change the tone of a game. [Read more 🡒]