New York Rangers are built to be a powerhouse after drafting Alexis Lafreniere

After selecting Alexis Lafreniere with the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers have the pieces to dominate the league for years to come

It feels safe to say at this point that the New York Rangers rebuild is just about over, and the rest of the league should start to take notice.

The New York Rangers had the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and selected future superstar Alexis Lafreniere, setting them up to be a powerhouse in the league for years to come with their already strong core in place.

Lafreniere led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 77 assists and 112 points for the Rimouski Oceanic and for the second straight season was voted QMJHL MVP, joining Sidney Crosby as the only player to win MVP back-to-back. Lafreniere was also voted Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year.

“I think the Rangers are a really good team,” Lafreniere told NHL Network on Monday. “They’re young … and they were good this year and they have a lot of good players. The city is really great, so that would be an honor for me to join them.”

The Rangers got the first-overall pick in Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery, where all the teams who lost in the qualifying round had an equal shot at the first overall pick after a placeholder team won Phase 1 of the Lottery. The Rangers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the qualifying round, giving them the shot at first overall.

Drafting Lafreniere comes just a few days after the Rangers bought out their previous franchise face, Henrik Lundqvist, signifying the end of an era and the beginning of another.

Lafreniere will be joining an already talent rich New York Rangers roster after their rebuild that began at the 2018 Trade Deadline, including Hart candidate Artemi Panarin, Mike Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. Not to mention the youth movement including 2019 second overall pick Kaapo Kakko, emerging star goalie Igor Shesterkin, and Adam Fox on the back end.

The Rangers roster alone was one good offseason away from playoff contention, and with the addition of a potential franchise face like Lafreniere, they could be Stanley Cup contenders for several years to come, potentially as soon as next season.