The New York Rangers are in the midst of a very disappointing season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy and making a run to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Many players have not performed up to expectations, but Alexis Lafreniere’s struggles have been especially frustrating after his breakout 2023-24 season. The Blueshirts need him to play much better to reach their potential.
Last season, Lafreniere got an opportunity to play in the top six on a line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, and they quickly formed chemistry and proved to be the Rangers’ top line. While the team’s other lines did not produce a lot offensively at even strength, Lafreniere’s stepped up and produced consistently. Though he played on the scarcely used second power play unit, he finished with 28 goals and 29 assists in 82 games. He played even better in the postseason and finished with eight goals and six assists in 16 games, including a highlight-reel goal against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
This season Lafreniere got off to another strong start playing on the same line with Trocheck and Panarin. He had nine goals and 11 assists in his first 26 games despite once again rarely getting ice time on power plays. He also signed a seven-year, $52.15 million contract extension on Oct. 25.
After his strong start, Lafreniere went through an extended slump, and he rarely generated scoring chances. He had no goals and one assist in his next 12 games. The offensive woes were frustrating as he struggled defensively too, getting caught in the offensive zone, turning the puck over, and taking the wrong man in the defensive zone. The Rangers won just three of those 12 games.
Last season, Lafreniere did an excellent job carrying the puck into the offensive zone, but this season, he looked to defer to his linemates more often, and he had a lot of quiet games. Additionally, with the Rangers’ power play struggling, he got an opportunity to play on the first unit but fanned on shots and passes and was moved back down to the second unit. His struggles began in December, and he has never fully broken out of this slump. He has just seven goals and 16 assists in his last 51 games, despite spending most of that time on a line with Panarin.
In addition to Lafreniere’s struggles, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Vincent Trocheck are all having down seasons, which is why the Rangers are not in a playoff spot right now. While the Rangers need all of them to play better, Lafreniere is especially important as their other top-six forwards are all veterans.
J.T. Miller is 32, Panarin and Kreider are 33, and Zibanejad and Trocheck are 31, while Lafreniere is 23 and should be entering his prime. While the hope is that some of their veterans can bounce back, it is not surprising for players in their 30s to have a decrease in production, and that means the Rangers need their young players to contribute.
Former head coach Gerard Gallant and current head coach Peter Laviolette have both relied heavily on the Rangers’ veteran forwards, but that has not worked this season. Will Cuylle is 23 and in the midst of a strong season and prospects Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, and Gabriel Perreault have all spent some time with the Blueshirts and have the potential to develop into good players. The team needs their young forwards to contribute, and Lafreniere needs to play better.
Though many of the Rangers’ forwards have struggled, Lafreniere will be key as he is one of the youngest and most skilled forwards on a team filled with veterans. Regardless of what happens down the stretch this season, they need him to be much better next season for the team to reach its full potential.
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The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Los Angeles Lakers are working on building a contender around last season's blockbuster addition of Luka Doncic, and could have their eyes on a player named the biggest "steal" of free agency. James Herbert of CBS Sports noted that former Boston Celtics star Malcolm Brogdon is still looking for his next NBA home and could be a bargain for a team that lands him. "After a couple of years in Portland and Washington, it feels like it's time for the veteran guard to get back on a winning team," Herbert wrote. "If healthy, he could be a real bargain for a contender -- it was only two years ago that he won Sixth Man of the Year in Boston." Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp named the Lakers as a team to watch for Brogdon, who has shared his admiration for Lakers star LeBron James in the past. Speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, the former NBA Rookie of the Year said he believes James is the greatest of all time and disagrees with those who use his longevity as an argument against him. “At 40, I think that LeBron is playing at a higher level, but I think medicine and I think science has come a long way,” Brogdon said. “But I think also longevity has to be counted for LeBron. He’s the first player in this game to have longevity that is counted against him, you know? It’s one of his downfalls.” Brodgon was a solid contributor for the Washington Wizards last season, scoring 12.7 points with 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t have a good relationship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, according to NBA insider Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. Kuminga is a restricted free agent. He doesn’t want to return to the Warriors. Kerr benched Kuminga for the final regular-season game of last season versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga played in Games 2 and 3 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round postseason series, but that was only because Jimmy Butler was injured. Golden State beat Houston in seven games. Kuminga played in every game of the Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series, but that was only because Stephen Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series. Golden State lost to Minnesota in five games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in Kuminga, who has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The forward, though, hasn’t gotten an offer sheet from the Suns or Kings. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season on his $7.9 million qualifying offer with Golden State and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a new team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a new team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 2022 NBA champion leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. “But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”