Through 13 games, the Rangers’ offense has found its two headliners, and they’ve come from very different places. Alexis Lafreniere is finally playing like the No. 1 pick everyone waited on, while Adam Fox is piling up assists at a pace that keeps him right near the top of the NHL.
Lafreniere has been the one driving things up front. In his seventh NHL season, the 25-year-old leads the Rangers and is tied for third in the league with nine goals. He also sits second on the club with 15 points, trailing only Fox’s 16, and his 1.15 points per game is easily the best rate of his career so far.
He kept that momentum going Saturday in Ottawa. Lafreniere scored late in the second period to cut the Senators’ lead to 4-3, then nearly pulled New York even in the third before a shot rang off the post. Even in a 7-4 loss, he was all over the game, finishing with seven shots on goal and 10 attempts to lead the Rangers.
That followed another big night Thursday in Toronto, when Lafreniere tied the game 4-4 with a goal at 14:25 of the third period before the Rangers dropped a last-minute decision on Troy Stecher’s goal. The bigger picture is clear: he’s not just scoring more, he’s become the guy New York leans on when the game tightens up.
For a player taken first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, some may see this as overdue. The Rangers, though, are surely just happy it’s happening now, especially with the team still sitting only 15th in the NHL at 3.15 goals per game.
Fox has been every bit as important, just in a different way. He matched Jaromir Jagr’s franchise mark for the fastest to 16 assists in a season after adding two more in Game 13 in Ottawa. Only Connor McDavid, with 25, has more assists in the NHL.
His playmaking was even louder the night before in Toronto, when he assisted on all four Rangers goals. That was the fourth time in his career he’s had at least four assists in a game, leaving him one shy of his personal best. In NHL history, only seven United States-born defensemen have had that many four-assist games.
What stands out most about Fox is the steady drip of production. He has at least one point in 10 of 13 games this season and is in the middle of a three-game point streak that’s produced seven assists. It’s already his third stretch of at least three games with a point, and he’s just one game short of his season high of four straight.
The only thing missing now is a goal. Even so, Fox has still been hugely effective, with several point shots through traffic already deflected in by teammates this season. The scoring column may be empty for now, but the impact isn’t.
Fox has long been one of the league’s most underappreciated defensemen, and Lafreniere spent earlier seasons trying to find his footing. Right now, both have earned the credit they’re getting.
In other Rangers notes, John Kreiser has the game story and recap from the 7-4 loss to the Senators, and there’s plenty to sort through in the team’s latest road defeat. Also worth noting: 38-year-old James Reimer opened with a 35-save shutout in his debut with the Hartford Wolf Pack, giving the Rangers something to consider in goal depth.
Around the league, Quinn Hughes talked about returning to Vancouver and the chance he could be booed by Canucks fans when the Minnesota Wild visit Sunday, their first trip back since acquiring him from the Canucks 10 months ago. He also discussed where contract talks stand with the Wild.
Connor Hellebuyck also spoke the day after being traded to the New Jersey Devils, offering positive words about Jets fans while avoiding a deep dive so he wouldn’t distract from Winnipeg’s outdoor Heritage Classic game Sunday. He said he’ll say more later.
Elliotte Friedman also offered several updates on Saturday Headlines, including when Hellebuyck might debut for the Devils, how the Carolina Hurricanes tried to involve a third team in trade talks with Winnipeg, and the Washington Capitals allowing Ivan Miroshnichenko to seek a trade at his request.
NHL.com reported that the Jets are feeling relief now that the Hellebuyck situation is settled and are focused on Sunday’s outdoor game against the Montreal Canadiens. And on the waiver wire, the Wild claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt from the Nashville Predators, while the Capitals claimed defenseman Jack St. Ivany from the Jets.
In Other News...
Rangers $11 Million Winger Already Facing A Tough Reality Check
Pavel Dorofeyevs early-season role has already started to shift, and not in the way the Rangers had hoped when they committed significant money and a prominent lineup spot to him. During the game against Ottawa, the winger was moved out of the top six and down to the third line once New York fell behind, a sign that the coaching staff is willing to tinker quickly when production does not match expectations.
The underlying numbers have not been the main concern. Dorofeyev has created chances and generated high-danger looks, but the finish has not followed often enough, with only three goals in 13 games. For a Rangers team counting on him to be more than just a support piece, the pressure is already building to turn those opportunities into something more tangible. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Send A Clear Message With Tonights Lineup Shuffle
The Rangers are clearly looking for a different look against the Kings, and it starts in goal with James Reimer getting the nod in his first game for New York. Signed to a one-year contract, the veteran steps in after Dylan Garand handled the crease for seven straight starts following Igor Shesterkins injury, while the club also rolled out three line combination changes in an effort to shake things up.
There is a little extra edge to the matchup at Madison Square Garden, too, with former Rangers coach Peter Laviolette back in the building now guiding Los Angeles. Between the lineup tweaks and the change in net, the message is hard to miss: New York is treating this one as more than just another regular-season game. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face A Dmitri Voronkov Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Rangers are still working through what kind of offseason swing they want to take, and the latest chatter around the league only adds another layer to that planning. New York is exploring its options in goal, but it is also keeping an eye on how the market develops up front, where a number of pending unrestricted free agents could become part of the conversation if the price and fit line up.
Columbus, meanwhile, has another name circulating in trade talk in Dmitri Voronkov, a reminder that the Blue Jackets may be weighing bigger roster decisions than expected. For the Rangers, that sort of movement matters because every shift in the forward market and every available piece in goal can change how aggressively they approach the rest of the summer. [Read more 🡒]