NHL Draft 2020: How would Alexis Lafreniere fit in Rangers system?

Alexis Lafreniere will see success in his jump to the NHL

In Monday night’s NHL Draft Lottery, the New York Rangers were blessed with the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select top prospect Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere has been a force in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since he made his debut in 2017. In each season, he’s put up 80 or more points. In his last two seasons, he’s hit over 100 points, including 2019-20, when he notched 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 games for his team Rimouski Oceanic.

Standing at 6-1 and 192 pounds, Lafreniere already has the build to play in the NHL and will be expected to start for the Rangers on day one. Lafreniere has top-end speed and an absolute missile of a shot, making him an elite offensive prospect.

He’s also proven that he can perform on a big stage. At this year’s World Junior Championships, Lafreniere had ten points in five games for Team Canada, leading them to a gold medal.

How will Lafreniere fit in New York?

In New York, he will look to team up with Kappo Kakko and lead the franchise to success in years to come. Kakko and Lafreniere are already two of the most promising young wingers in hockey and it will be exciting to see what they can do together on the ice in New York.

After excellent seasons from Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, we may see Lafreniere paired up with the duo to start the year. Lafreniere is an excellent playmaker and would work well with the two goal-scoring forwards, who had 41 and 32 goals respectively last season.

This could immediately turn into one of the most exciting lines in hockey. All three players have incredible speed and top-end scoring ability. If head coach David Quinn opts to put them together, it would be something to behold.

As a whole, the New York Rangers are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. They have extremely young talent across the board with players like Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, Pavel Buchnevich and Adam Fox all having solid seasons in 2020. They now have a menacing top six in Panarin, Zibanejad, Lafreniere, Chris Kreider, Strome and Buchnevich.

With the addition of Lafreniere, Rangers fans should be hopeful to see their team make the playoffs next season and gain some important experience. As a whole, the Rangers are trending in the right direction.