"It's a little too early for possession numbers to have true meaning, but it does give us a little bit of a deeper dive into Lafreniere's play. What's a pleasure to see is Lafreniere's offensive play driving and defensive play suppression numbers are very good, suggesting the 23-year-old Lafreniere is a lot better than some of the complaints may suggest. The powerplay chances are there too, but they just haven't wound up in the back of the net consistently...yet."
"The arguments against are mostly focused on two things: He's not a generational talent or he's an empty calorie scorer. The former is true and there's nothing Lafreniere can do about that and nor is it his fault the hype machine got out of control. The latter is proven untrue just by watching him play and continue to learn under Mike Sullivan."
Alexis Lafreniere struggled early in the season while the Rangers adjusted to a new system and competed without a top-six center, often playing shorthanded. Lafreniere produced a 3-8-11 start, ranking third on the team in points behind Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. Advanced metrics show promising signs: offensive drive and defensive suppression numbers are strong for the 23-year-old. Power-play opportunities exist but finishing has been inconsistent. Criticisms that he is only an empty-calorie scorer are contradicted by observable play and learning under Mike Sullivan. Continued development makes him deserving of his roster spot and contract.
Read at Blue Seat Blogs
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]