The offseason has arrived, and while we won't be getting any transactions for a while, some buzz has continued to take place surrounding a certain New York Ranger who might be on his way out the door.
Alexis Lafreniere was the 2020 first overall pick in the NHL Draft, and while he's had moments of stardom, the ever-critical New York market has done nothing but malign him this season.
Everywhere you look there are headlines pertaining to Lafreniere that all have the same word: disappointment.
Lafreniere's Profile
Lafreniere will be 24 years old at the start of the 2025-26 season, but he already has five years under his belt at the NHL level. He's amassed 92 goals and 101 assists (193 points) in 380 games. That's just over a 0.50 point-per-game mark.
Two seasons ago Lafreniere scored 28 goals, and his scouting determination deemed him a quick decision maker who would find lots of goals thanks to his physicality and versatility in the offensive end.
The biggest letdown for Lafreniere, though, is his tendency to have dry spells - Sahara Desert levels of dry. The NHL is so much about consistency that when you rely on a player to fill a certain role and fulfill a certain task, their value is diminished exponentially when they fail to do so.
Lafreniere has gone through times where he can't buy a goal, and his overall ability still has a lot of work to be done. To make things worse for the Rangers, they locked him up long term and for a pretty penny.
After this season, Lafreniere will make $7.4M a year for the next seven years. Woof. The production and money are not lining up here. The Rangers seem to have jumped the gun, but is it all on Lafreniere?
Why the Penguins might want him
The Rangers seem to be inept at developing their young talent. They accumulated a bunch of it several years ago, and while it might have started out strong, it has not turned into NHL cornerstone pieces.
I'm shuttering as I type this, but, remember the Kid Line from the last time the Penguins were in the playoffs? Lafreniere was on it. The other two: Kaapo Kakko (traded to Seattle) and Filip Chytil (traded to Vancouver).
Lafreniere is the last remaining member of the highly projected Kid Line. Chytil didn't do much with Vancouver, but Kakko might have found himself in Seattle.
What if a change of scenery is what Lafreniere needs to unlock his first overall pick potential? His stock has never been lower, and the Penguins could leverage that into getting New York to eat some of his albatross contract.
Here's how you entice them. The Penguins say, "You take 50% of his contract, and we'll give you some draft capital." The Rangers don't have a lot of draft capital right now, and the Penguins could make out like a bandit handing off one of the many picks they have while Lafreniere stock is low.
Of course, this deal benefits the Penguins only if they manage to actually develop him. Do we have enough evidence that the staff can do that? I don't know. We've seen encouraging progress with Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, but they're rookies. Lafreniere will be a sixth year player.
However, while he does have plenty of service time, he's still very young. There's a reason he was picked first overall. The Penguins could use a game changer like him if he can become what he was drafted to be.
Also, how sweet would it be to poach unrealized talent from a division rival while they wallow in their squalor? Retribution for 2022. He went ballistic in that opening series against Pittsburgh.
Time to clap back and take it from them. Put him on a line with Malkin and Rakell and watch as his production skyrockets. And remember, the Penguins have all the leverage. They won't have to settle. It's New York that would likely do something brash.
Tell us what you think about the Penguins pursuing Alexis Lafreniere this offseason. Do you like the idea, or is he just a draft bust and should be left alone? Let us known on Twitter/X @PensLabyrinthFS!