Of all the issues that NHL teams have at the start of training camp, asking for more opportunities for developing players is one that no one wants.
That's something to watch for Alexis Lafreniere and the New York Rangers as they prepare for their first official on-ice session of the preseason on Thursday at MSG Training Center.
This was something that quickly took shape in the second half of last season, as Lafreniere finally hit his stride at the NHL level and became one of the team's most consistent skaters.
Coach Peter Laviolette acknowledged Lafreniere's progress but said exploring an expanded role for the 22-year-old winger is a goal of training camp.
“You can definitely see that confidence in his play and you see it building throughout the year leading up to the playoffs,” Laviolette told reporters during his pre-camp press conference on Wednesday. “He's had a very good year. What you expect from a young player or a team is to continue to work every day and find ways to get better, find ways to do more than they did before. It doesn't always work out that way, but with teams and players, you want to see people continue to take that next step.”
“He's certainly had a great year and seems to have gotten better and stronger and more confident as the year has gone on. We'd like to see him continue to progress from there.”
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick was a late bloomer who played on one of the league's most highly-anticipated lines with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck last season, improving his average ice time from 15:13 to 17:16.
Lafreniere finished the regular season with 28 goals and 29 assists, setting career highs in several categories, and continued to excel in the postseason.
His eight goals and six assists in the round of 16 playoff games were important, but what was most impressive was the repeated impact he made on a game-by-game basis.
Laviolette said he thinks Lafreniere has already played a big role, noting that Lafreniere has played meaningful minutes on the same line as one of the NHL's leading scorers.
The increased workload is reflected in Lafreniere's statistics and, naturally, this is behind the mindset of trying to acquire more of the Quebec native.
One way to do that would be to place Lafreniere on the Rangers' top power-play unit, which will have a significant numbers advantage compared to the No. 2 unit he typically plays on.
But the reality is much more complicated than that.
“Last year, our power play and penalty kill were outstanding,” Laviolette said of the Rangers' special teams, which finished in the top three in both categories. “To be successful as a team, that's what it has to be. Our power play operated at a really high level. And that's what training camp is for — a chance to look at different guys and different units. But sometimes you try to find a balance between what you're really successful at and mixing it up and moving it around.”
“There's going to be an opportunity throughout training camp to start looking at things in a different light. It's not just about him.”
Lafreniere will likely start on the first power play, but there's no guarantee he'll stay there.
Laviolette will have to use his natural instincts to maintain one of the league's best power play units while also considering what's best for his developing star.
Why fix what isn't broken, but why not make changes that could potentially be better for everyone?
