The New York Rangers have revealed that forward Alexis Lafrenière will be out on a day-to-day basis due to an upper-body injury.
So far this season, Lafrenière has recorded three goals and three assists for a total of six points in five games. At 23 years old, he is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 28 goals and provided 29 assists for 56 points over 82 games. Additionally, he contributed eight goals and 14 points in 16 games during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lafrenière has significantly increased his point production, consistently adding 18 points to his totals each year since his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season.
Last week, Frank Seravalli from Daily Faceoff suggested that a contract extension might be in the works for Lafrenière to ensure he remains in New York for the long haul. “I mentioned on Amazon last night that it’s an 8-year deal for $8 million, but it could be shorter,” Seravalli said on Daily Faceoff Live. “The challenge for the Rangers is navigating the first two years of that contract because of other commitments on the salary cap. However, considering his development, it’s unlikely he will agree to a deal with an average annual value lower than $7 million.”
To date, Lafrenière has played in 303 NHL games, scoring 78 goals and 76 assists for a total of 154 points. He has also accumulated 23 points in 43 playoff games.
Chosen as the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lafrenière took some time to establish himself in the league. He spent three seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL, winning both the QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year awards in 2017-18, as well as the CHL Player of the Year award in 2019-20. Throughout his time in the QMJHL, the St-Eustache, Quebec native amassed 297 points in 173 games.
