The NY Rangers offseason has been one of haggling and lethargy, with Chris Drury sticking to low-cost free agents and betting on mostly the same roster for next season. It was also a story of lack of trade. We know why the Rangers didn’t trade Barclay Goudreau, and they also stuck with Alexis Lavernière. Now we can look into why the Rangers haven’t traded Lafrenière, at least not yet.
Again to be clear, there haven’t been any solid rumors of Lafreniere trading. It was mostly conjecture as to what time the rumor was actually mentioned, Chris Drury Strongly refute them. Given what we know about Drury, Glen Sather, and Jim Dolan wanting to control the letter, any subsequent rumors or denials are always taken with a grain of salt. However, there are some good reasons why the Rangers haven’t traded Lafreniere just yet.
Trades on Drury’s terms
Just as with Goodrow, any Lafreniere trade would have occurred simply to get rid of a player. Lafreniere is cheap to produce and an extensive first choice previously. He’s highly skilled and has been benched for most of his already young career. Lafreniere was rarely placed in a position to succeed. His first coaches weren’t quite well liked by Ranger fans either.
The Rangers are not going to give up on Lafreniere, despite what some people would like. Despite his questionable coaching style, he is still one of the best scorers even on the powerhouse at the Rangers. Presumably, natural progression and experience, along with his more consistent playtime with other skill players, will help him take the next step.
Adding Dan Muse to the coaching staff was also a very important part of unlocking Lafreniere’s potential. Now with a coach who specializes in developing odds, the Rangers have a man to hopefully reach. Rangers have yet to trade Lafreniere because of this, they want to see how he interacts with the coach who will work with him to develop his game. If, after a few months, they feel a change in attitude, it’s worth it. If not, it’s time to cut the bait.
Lafreniere is a deal on his next contract
Lafreniere’s production is also good to hold. Forget about his draft post and just focus on points per dollar. Lafreniere is a 15-20 goals, 35-40 player points player of equal strength. his next contract, In the evolution of hockey Assuming it’s a two-year deal, it’s $2.7 million. Even with no powerplay time and the same output, this is a bargain.
But, and that’s a big assumption, Lafreniere takes it a step further and gets solid runtime, and we could be looking at 25+ goals and 60+ points. He certainly has the skill to do that. While this would hurt Rangers on La Frenière’s third contract, it would be a big deal at the moment, with Rangers deep into win territory now. Cost per dollar is the main reason the Rangers did not trade Lafreniere.
Even if there’s no progress, cost-per-dollar likely plays a role in why the Rangers have to wait until their bridge deal expires, too. It is almost impossible to find a 40 point player for $2.7 million available to trade. Especially one as skilled as Lafreniere with an upside. There is still hope, even if it seems to be dwindling.
The Rangers haven’t traded Lafreniere (yet) since there are too many legitimate reasons to keep him while he’s in the winning window now. Things may change over the next season. Hell, things might change through boot camp. This stuff is fluid, but the logic is valid why we haven’t seen a deal yet.