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‘I can be even better’; Lafreniere aims to build on big finish for Rangers
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- ‘I can be even better’; Lafreniere aims to build on big finish for Rangers
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Not much went right for the New York Rangers on their way to a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference this season. But one positive amid the gloom and doom was the post-Olympic performance of forward Alexis Lafreniere.
The first player taken in the 2020 NHL Draft emerged as an offensive force after the Rangers dealt their top scorer, Artemi Panarin, to the Los Angeles Kings just before the Olympic break. Lafreniere had 12 goals and 32 points in 57 games before the break — a 46-point pace over a full 82-game season. But with Panarin's departure, coach Mike Sullivan put Lafreniere together with center Mika Zibanejad and left wing Gabe Perreault – and the trio clicked.
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Lafreniere was a point-a-game player (12 goals, 25 points) in the Rangers' final 25 games, including his second NHL hat trick in a 4-0 win against the Calgary Flames on March 10. He and his linemates carried the offense and were one of the Rangers' few bright spots in a season to forget. The 24-year-old finished the season with 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists), matching the career high he set in 2023-24.
His task now is to build on that strong finish and help the Rangers get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after failing to qualify in each of the past two seasons.
"We all know the season was disappointing for all of us," he said during breakup day on April 17. "It was better in the second half, for sure. I think I can work hard this summer and maybe have a more consistent season next year.
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"I feel like I can take a step. I like my second half, but I can be even better, so that's kind of my mindset for next year."
More confident Lafreniere looks to build on strong finish
For perhaps the first time in his six NHL seasons, Lafreniere played with confidence, driving to the net and becoming a physical presence. Lafreniere's production finally began to match his underlying stats, which had always been strong but had rarely yielded the kind of offensive numbers expected of a player picked No. 1 six years ago.
So what made the difference?
"I just feel my confidence the last 30-40 games, just the way I played, making plays and trusting yourself," he said. "I feel that's a big part of playing good if you play with confidence. I feel that was the biggest difference."
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Another difference for Lafreniere was where his offense was coming from.
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"I tried to challenge him and say hey, here's an opportunity for you to grow your game," coach Mike Sullivan said shortly before the season ended, "and I think most recently he's really embraced it."
That he did — and Lafreniere said it's a part of his game he intends to work even harder at for next season.
"You look at goals around the League — they're scored around the net, so you have to get there," he said. "That's a part of my game I can still improve; I can work on that and hopefully come back and be even better."
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A big part of this was his newfound spot on the top power-play unit – Lafrenière finished the season with nine power-play goals, two more than he had in his first five NHL seasons combined.
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"As a player, you always want the most ice time you can get, and being on the power play with these guys was good," he said. "I think we had a good chemistry going."
Lafrenière had 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games during calendar year 2026. That's a pace of 33 goals, 43 assists, and 76 points over a full season — the kind of production teams expect from a player entering the second season of a seven-year contract that carries an average annual value of $7.45 million through 2031-32.
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The Rangers need him to produce at his late-season 2025-26 rate for a whole season.
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Lafreniere was part of the Rangers teams that reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024 before the disappointments of the past two seasons, so he knows what success and failure looks like at the NHL level. He said he's confident that the Blueshirts can get back to the postseason in 2026-27.
"We have a really good mix," he said. "The young guys came in and did a really good job – they were unbelievable for us. Hopefully we can bring that back next year, have a better year and make the playoffs.
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"We have a long summer, so we have a lot of time to work on our games. I feel for me, it's just consistency. I think that's the biggest part. That's what I really want to improve in my game. If I can be consistent, I can help the team win more."
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