Lol bro sometimes the shit you come up with. Like they want Laf to score 15 goals this year so they don’t have to pay him next year lol. At some point they will have to pay him.
He can easily score 25 goals without any significant pp time and still bust out. He showed that he actually can find the way to score without being on pp all the time
First of all you’re a fucking clown if you think he’s gonna break out without first power play time. Go look around the league it doesn’t happen. If they put Lafreniere on the first power-play unit he’s gonna end up with 70+ points. Did you see the contract Stutzle signed. He’s gonna cost $8 million if that happens. Go check the salary cap next year. They don’t have the fucking money. Miller really broke out last year he’s going to get paid. The Rangers are in a lot of trouble if Lafreniere puts up that many points. You’re like most fans, you think very simply. You don’t see a lot of things in the future because you don’t look that deeply. If you see Trocheck play the first power-play unit game one I’m gonna fucking go off on you. Because what I said they’re doing is exactly what they’re going to be doing.
He does not need 70 + points to break out and get a huge contract. If he puts up around 55 points he will get paid. That’s what I expect from him this season around 55 points. He will play on pp either it’s first or second unit. I expect Trochek to be on a second pp unit to start the season. Laf will get his chance on pp for sure.
Yeah that’s exactly what Drury and Gallant want to do. Keep Laf away from scoring 70 points so Drury doesn’t have to pay him a big contract next year. Fuck yeah!
Laf led the team in even strength goals, he figured things out last year. I'm not worried about him but he and Kakko have to make the best of their opportunities on the PP and get the puck to the net . The Rangers lose $3.3 mil in dead cap space next year which helps but the cap situation is exactly why the Rangers have to make a deal for Kane or Horvat to win now. I'm sure the Garden crowd will be fine with management's dastardly plan to stifle Alexi''s development with a steady dose of bench warming especially on the PP.
Like I said talk to me after the first two games of the season. If Lafreniere isn’t on the first power-play unit what I said is exactly true. If you look at the situation they’re trying to get Lafreniere to be just like Kakko and get that cheap bridge deal. If Lafreniere doesn’t play the first power play unit he won’t break 50 points. If they can get those two guys cheap for another two years they can get rid of some of the vets by then. They could move Kreider and perhaps Panarin. Hopefully not buy them out.
If Lafreniere once again gets as many minutes as Kevin fking Rooney, he won't be getting anywhere near close to 50 points. He'll need top-6 minutes and consistent PP time to do that.
Exactly. I looked at the cap situation next year and the fact Miller, Lafreniere and Chytil are RFA's, I don't think any way this dumbass organization is going to play Lafreniere on the first PP unit. If they do, the kid will put up 55 to 75 points and he will want a lot of money. Stepan thinks they wouldn't do something like that. Bullshit. Yeah they would. They almost have to because they spread their ass cheeks when rushing to pay Panarin, Zibanejad, Fox, Trouba and Kreider. Not to mention all the stupid NMC's they give out. The cap isn't going up high enough. Now, they're fucked if another young talent breaks out and wants money. The fact they made Trouba the captain and not Kreider tells me that in 2 years when his NMC becomes a M-NTC, Kreider might be the guy out of here. I'm sure after the next two years they would love to move Panarin. They might have to buy him out.
So after last year's not going to make the playoffs predictions sunk like lead balloons the new craze is stifling Laf's development to save a few dollars come contract time, brilliant! If Alexi plays the way he did end of the year it will be impossible for GG to bench him. I worry about Fox holding up for the duration of his large contract but that is concern for down the road now is the time to make a move for that one last piece to put them over the top.
I don’t know why you both think he won’t get any major minutes and pp time. It’s not like they brought in a lot of vets to play in top six. All they brought in is Trochek. If they brought back Frankie V and Copp then yes he would not probably get major minutes. I am really not worried about his ice time this season.
Not if he gets the same icetime he did last year or doesn’t play the first PP unit. Almost all the scorers in the NHL that get 60+ points play on the first powerful unit go look at all the teams.
because so far this team has shown no desire to make him a key part of the team. Kevin fking Rooney played as many minutes as Laf did in the regular season. The team also preferred to bring in Copp and Vatrano instead of giving Laf an expanded role. Then in the playoffs where he was playing well and and certainly better than other top players on the team, he still got the usual 14min of ice on average. As we look to this season, there is zero confidence in this organization that they’ll make him one of the top players. Are they suddenly going to take him from 14min a game to 18-20? Believe it when i see it and pray to the hockey gods they do and I’m wrong, but with Panarin and Kreider already the established top 2 LW i have my doubts. We’ll find out soon enough.
I'm encouraged by the camp news with Jones and Robertson bulking up and working offseason to improve and win that last defensive spot, unlike Nils who's done nothing but bellyache for a trade. The main reason Laf and Kakko had limited ice time was conditioning, I don't see that being a problem this year.
Kevin Rooney was the king of the PK where he logged 2+ minutes of ice time per game (Laf zero minutes PK) so the ice time argument is specious at best.. The idea that Drury/GG took the team in their first year 2 games from the Cup remains one of the more amazing things this Rangers fan has seen. They must be doing something right if all the "What If?" crowd can come up with is a hypothetical but new wrinkle on the stifle the kids conspiracy.
GG announces kravtsov will start on 2nd line with the breadman and trocheck. Very interesting. I guess Laf and kakko will remain part of the 3rd line with Chytil.
What did I just fucking tell you for the past week. They are not gonna give Lafreniere an expanded role because they can’t pay him if he breaks out. This organization is a fucking disgrace. Do you believe it now Stepan? They are hoping that Russian cocksucker does well enough so they can trade his fucking stupid ass along with Jones and maybe a lesser prospect for Kane at the deadline as a rental. Sacrificing another year of development for Lafreniere. That’s why this loser organization has one cup in 80+ years.
