Can Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière build upon his late season offensive burst?

Mar 26, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 26, 2026, 10:31 EDT

Can Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière build upon his late season offensive burst?

Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Two years ago, Jonny Lazarus tweeted that Alexis Lafrenière would have a 100-point season in his NHL career.

That hasn’t aged particularly well. Lafrenière had 45 points a year ago and hasn’t even broken the 60-point barrier. But in a year where the New York Rangers have been absolutely dismal by every metric imaginable, Lafrenière has given Rangers faithful something to get excited about.

Lafrenière is in his sixth NHL season, having registered 240 points in 451 games. It’s hardly the numbers you’d want to see out of a first overall prospect. There are still so many who wonder how good he could have been had COVID-19 not impacted his 2020-21 so much. It’s not a great excuse, because it affected everyone. But in Lafreniere’s case, he went from the QMJHL to the NHL eight months later, with no real game action in between. Tim Stützle’s situation was similar, but he at least played pro hockey the year before getting drafted.

But that was A LONG time ago now. Lafrenière has had plenty of opportunities to find his game and has missed only four games in his career. Lafrenière struggled prior to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, registering 34 points through his first 60 games. But after escaping the trade market, Lafrenière has seemingly found his footing again.

Now, it looks like the 24-year-old is starting to really find his groove. Lafrenière has had a few off nights, but he’s up 11 goals and 21 points in his past 17 games.

Lafrenière has spent most of the year in the top six, and currently occupies the top line with Mika Zibanejad and rookie Gabe Perreault. But for Lafrenière, he’s playing with as much confidence as we’ve seen from him in his career. He has a great shot, handles the puck well, and can clearly deal with the physical side of the game with his rugged 6-foot-2, 196-pound frame.

“One of the biggest differences in Lafrenière’s game, especially since the Olympic break, has been getting around the blue paint,” Lazarus said. “He was never known to be much of a netfront guy, and I think he has scored about 4-5 goals just on deflections. If he can become one of those guys who plays on the inside and isn’t relying on his playmaking ability, he’ll be a much bigger threat in the offensive zone.”

But the problem? He’s incredibly streaky. He had two points in New York’s second game of the season, and then proceeded to go dry in seven of the next eight contests. Even recently, while his numbers have looked good, he has had a few too many off nights. Lafrenière’s game-to-game consistency has been an issue since leaving junior. The highs might be higher than ever, but the lows just simply leave a lot to be desired.

And that’s what has kept Lafrenière from truly reaching the high expectations thrust upon him. Most top prospects are typically excellent skaters with unbelievable mobility – Matthew Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini come to mind. Lafrenière isn’t slow, but he can get caught being a passenger more than he should. That’s what often separates a player from being just “good” and becoming an NHL star.

“There are some nights when he’s going, and you see him every shift,” Lazarus said. “But there are other nights when you may not see him at all. He’s got to find that consistency, which is much easier said than done. But if he can, he’ll be scary.”

The Rangers won’t participate in the NHL’s annual spring fling. But what if Lafrenière stays hot? How about heading to Switzerland to play for Canada’s IIHF World Championship team? Many of the game’s top stars elect to skip it during an Olympic year. That could open the door for Lafrenière to play a significant role. He hasn’t represented Canada at the senior level yet, but he was outstanding at the 2020 World Juniors, winning gold after a whopping 10-point performance.

The World Championship can often be a confidence booster. Leo Carlsson had a point-per-game run with Sweden a year ago; he just hit 60 points for the first time in his career. Matt Boldy led the tournament in scoring two years ago – he’s now viewed as one of the better wingers in the NHL. Would Tage Thompson have made the USA’s Olympic team had he not had a monster World Championship run in 2025? Who knows. If Laf can continue racking up points, it could be huge for his self-belief.

Lafrenière will never live up to the billing of being the top prospect from 2020. Stützle would probably go first in a re-draft. Lucas Raymond, Seth Jarvis, and maybe Jake Sanderson are in the conversation, too. But at 24, there’s still time for Lafrenière to figure it out. He can be frustrating to watch – but the highs are definitely high.

If the Rangers are going to be true contenders down the line, they need more than just flashes of brilliance from No. 13. They need the consistent, top-six production that was promised back in 2020.

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