SUNRISE, Fla. — Alexis Lafreniere's season-opening play earned him a spot on the Rangers' top power play unit, but it looked like the team was looking to carry on last season's success. There was no reason to disband the team. The third-best man-advantage unit in the NHL last season.
The Blueshirts and their 2020 No. 1 overall pick have since plummeted in the opposite direction.
Head coach Peter Laviolette appears to be giving Lafreniere, who has given him several chances in midfield, a formal chance to secure a spot in the midfield, as his sluggish power play is in need of major changes. is.
“It takes a lot of skill, but right now we have to simplify it,” Lafniere told the Post after the Rangers finished practice Sunday. “We're getting some prospects, but if you simplify it and put the puck in the net, you'll get some rebound goals or tip goals and that can move you forward. Keep it simple. Please try it.”
Lafreniere will join Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox in the first unit, while Mika Zibanejad will join Quandre Miller, Riley Smith, Filip Sitil and Will Quill in the second unit. It fell.
Despite spending ice time with the top group, Lafreniere believes it's best to focus on reading the players he's with in order to settle into the team he's played with for most of the past six seasons. He said it was a method.
“Obviously you always want to play as much time as possible,” he said. “There are games where you have a power play, a few power plays that keep you in the game. That's always good. We're just trying to make the most of it.”
The Rangers' power play, which has failed to convert any of its 20 man-advantage opportunities over the past seven games, has been a huge part of the team's offensive game in recent years.
That track record of success makes it difficult for Lafreniere to break through, but the 23-year-old winger has already scored two power-play goals on the season, while his ice time on the man advantage has The average time was just 1 minute 41 seconds.
“He's a talented guy,” Laviolette said of what Lafreniere brings to PP1. “Trochek and Panarin are his line, they're the players he's used to playing. They look different. They have a different set of hands. People are moving into different positions, so Let's see how it goes.”
The Rangers practiced with the same line and defensive pairings they deployed in Tampa Bay.
Trocheck and Quill are two of only six NHL players with at least 10 goals and 100 hits.
