"The Rangers will only go as far as their limited skill will take them. We've seen this on full display, as the Vincent Trocheck injury has truly exposed the lack of skill at the top and bottom of the lineup. We see this clearly with the third line when they aren't facing the San Jose Sharks, but it's also quite evident in the top-six."
"Through 9 games, Lafreniere has just one goal and three points. Cuylle has just one goal. Both have been playing top-six minutes, with Lafreniere getting PP1 time and Cuylle PP2 time. It's not ice time or top-six time that is contributing to their slow start. They just look lost out there, looking a step behind the play and perhaps "thinking too much" as some coaches like to say."
"It's easy to look at stats to say they will rebound. After all, both are well above 50% in all puck possession metrics -CF%, xG%, HDCF%-and have offensive shot attempt numbers consistent with last season. Lafreniere is sporting a 4.2% shooting rate on 24 SOG, while Cuylle has a 4.8% shooting rate on 21 SOG. To say that both are just waiting for shooting luck to turn around would be the easy, but also lazy, explanation."
Rangers progress is limited by a lack of skill at both the top and bottom of the lineup, an issue exposed by Vincent Trocheck's injury. Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere have struggled early, appearing lost and a step behind despite playing top-six and power-play minutes. Through nine games Lafreniere has one goal and three points; Cuylle has one goal. Both show strong possession metrics (CF%, xG%, HDCF%) and similar shot-attempt rates to last season, but very low shooting percentages (Lafreniere 4.2% on 24 SOG; Cuylle 4.8% on 21 SOG). Shot heatmaps reveal predictable shot locations that limit offensive danger.
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