We are just a few days away from the Calgary Flames’ season opener and with final cuts to the roster still being made, there are some clear holes that the Flames will eventually have to fill. Whether that is through internal promotion or the trade route, something will have to come eventually, and if the Flames are looking to compete this season, they will have to bolster their forward group sooner rather than later.
It might take external options to fill said gaps. There’s a once-promising but still young player who was drafted first overall but may be on the outs with the team that took him in that slot. That player is none other than Alexis Lafreniere.
A logjam of forwards ahead of Lafreniere
When Lafreniere was drafted back in 2020, the hype around him was huge, and it was for good reason. While playing in the QMJHL for the Rimouski Oceanic, he amassed 297 points in just 173 games. He was a beast, and he was drawing many different comparables of what he can be in the NHL, most notably to former Oceanic player and Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby.
There were a ton of teams that wanted Lafreniere, and it looked like for most of the season he would probably end up playing for one of the Red Wings, Senators or Sharks. Then the pandemic hit and somehow the already good New York Rangers ended up with the first pick and selected Lafreniere.
The Rangers were already a solid team in 2020 and had just locked up long-time Ranger Chris Kreider to a seven-year contract, and with Artemi Panarin also playing the left wing position, Lafreniere would spend most of his time up until this point on the third line with very little special teams time. Lafreniere hasn’t had the opportunity to play higher in the Rangers lineup since he arrived just due to the fact that Kreider and Panarin have played out of their minds the last couple of years and sure there have been times when they gave Lafreniere a shot to play in the top-six, but it was often short-lived as former head coach Gerard Gallant would have a very short leash on Lafreniere.
Stunted development
For all the reasons listed above, it looks like Lafreniere’s development has stagnated. Sure, his point totals have increased every year, slightly, but, there just has not been that massive leap that you would expect to see from a player that was drafted first overall just three years ago.
Last season to date was his best season, but he followed that up by going pointless in a first-round exit to the New Jersey Devils—not great! There even came a point last season where Lafreniere was scratched, something that was extremely discouraging to see if you were a Rangers fan hoping to see a break out from him this past year.
Lastly, there have been reports coming out of Rangers training camp that new head coach Peter Laviolette has not been impressed with Lafreniere’s play even though he has given him every opportunity to lock down a spot next to the team’s top centre Mika Zibanejad. Again, not great if you are Lafreniere.
Why would the Flames have an interest in Lafreniere?
Now I know what you are thinking, why would the Flames have any interest in a player that has underachieved? The answer is quite simple, it would be a low-risk gamble on a player who has all the tools to become a very good NHL player. Now, he may not be the 100-point superstar he was touted as when he was drafted, but all the raw tools are there, he can skate, has fantastic skill, and can shoot and pass—he just needs to learn to put it all together at NHL level, somewhere he hasn’t gotten a great chance to succeed at.
There’s also the fact that the Flames’ depth at forward is extremely lacklustre, Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney are both out long-term and there isn’t anyone in the system that seems like they are ready for a full-time NHL job. Yegor Sharongovich seems like he is already in Ryan Huska’s doghouse after being removed from the top line and both power play units. I am also not convinced that Adam Ruzicka or Dillon Dube are long-term fixes in the top-six and who knows if Cole Schwindt is ready to play on the fourth line this year.
There would have to be some cap gymnastics to go through as Lafreniere will be making $2.325 million on the cap for this season and next, and odds are he would come at a discounted rate due to the fact that he hasn’t popped at NHL level and the recent playoff performance he just had. You have to wonder if the Rangers would be willing to let him go for cheap.
A low-risk, high-reward option
A trade for Lafreniere could prove as a boon for the Flames if they were to make one work. We have seen players take off after a trade after a few down years and some hope was lost, look no further than a Tage Thompson or a Sam Bennett (Bennett to a lesser degree). Could Lafreniere gain chemistry with fellow French-Canadiens Jonathan Huberdeau and Jakob Pelletier? It would sure be cool if he did.
In my opinion, if the Flames can figure out a way to bring Lafreniere in, it would be a chance worth taking, and if he pops, then it’s a massive boon to an organization that can use a young star.
