Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière speaks on demotion from Mike Sullivan

The New York Rangers look like a lost franchise more than halfway through the 2026-27 campaign. When they hired two-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach Mike Sullivan, the initial expectation seemed to be that he could engineer a fairly swift turnaround. Problems remain, however, including those that stem from several years ago. Alexis Lafrenière, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has been demoted to the third line amid continued struggles.

Sullivan outright said the team needs more from the 24-year-old left winger after the Rangers picked up their sixth loss in six games. Lafrenière is holding himself accountable following the disappointing news.

“I feel like overall this year, it hasn’t been good enough,” he said, per The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano. “I think I can play at a better level.”
“They mention a lot to go to the net without the puck: Try to be a screen, or get rebounds. (They want me) down low, along the goal line, stuff like that. Try to cut back, keep the puck a little more, and try to create.”

While it is encouraging to hear Lafrenière speak about the areas he has to improve in, fans want to see results on the ice pronto. The 6-foot-2 forward has nine goals, 15 assists and a -14 plus-minus through 46 games played this season. New York identified him as one of the future faces of the franchise, and as of now, that appears to be a massive miscalculation. And oh yeah, he signed a seven-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.45 million in October of 2024.

If the Rangers are going to remain irrelevant in the standings for another year, the least they can do is make progress from a developmental standpoint. Perhaps Sullivan can light a fire under Alexis Lafrenière with this role change, otherwise it will be extremely difficult to feel much optimism about the Blueshirts moving forward.