Seasoned columnist keeps it 100% real about $52.125M Rangers forward being a No. 1 draft pick bust or late NHL bloomer

NY Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere had an underperforming 2024-25 season, marking a regression from his breakout 2023-2024 campaign.

Lafreniere's production dropped notably with 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points in 82 games, compared to 57 points in the prior season. His offensive output waned after a strong start, with only 12 points in his last 29 games and a prolonged slump where he scored no goals and one assist in 12 games.

In his Rangers mailbag for The Athletic, seasoned columnist Peter Baugh responded to a question from Arthur M. about whether Alexis Lafreniere will be a late bloomer or a draft bust as the No. 1 pick. Baugh suggested that Lafreniere’s career will likely fall between these two extremes.

He noted that Lafreniere demonstrated in the 2023-24 season that he can perform at a top-line level.

"When we look back at Lafrenière's career, the truth is we will probably view it somewhere between these two extremes. He does not seem like he's going to be a superstar, which is what teams hope for when they have the No. 1 pick, but he is still only 23 and showed in 2023-24 that he can be a top-line-level player."

Alexis Lafreniere is currently signed to a seven-year, $52.15 million contract with the New York Rangers, with the new deal starting in the 2025-26 season. Drafted first overall by the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old has accumulated 193 points, with 92 goals and 101 assists, in 380 career games.

Former NY Rangers forward opens up about club potentially retiring his jersey

Former New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider recently shared his thoughts on the possibility of the Blueshirts retiring his No. 20 jersey in the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

He noted that it’s difficult to think about individual accolades while still in the middle of his career, especially after a challenging year and personal experiences.

"I think all the individual stuff is really hard to consider, hard to think about, when you're in the middle of your career—especially during the year we just had, on some of the stuff you touched on that I went through personally," Kreider said.

Kreider emphasized that his current focus is on getting healthy, finding his best performance, and contributing to the Anaheim Ducks.

As the longest-tenured former Ranger (13 seasons), Kreider ranks third in Rangers history with 326 goals, 10th in points (582), seventh in games played (883), and first in playoff games (123) and playoff goals (48).