The New York Rangers won the second lottery for the 2020 NHL Draft, which determined which team would have the opportunity to vote for # 1 overall. This first pick is widely expected to be Rimouski Oceanic’s Alexis Lafreniere phenomenon in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
In June, a wildcard won the first lottery, meaning that one of the eight teams eliminated from the playoffs via the qualifying play-in round would have the honor of finishing first overall. The Rangers were defeated 3-0 by the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the second year in a row that the Rangers have finished in the top two. They took Kaapo Kakko in 2nd place in 2019.
Our NHL team is here to find out what this means for Lafreniere, the Rangers, and the rest of the NHL.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate the ridiculousness of the Rangers landing as number 1.
Greg Wyshynski: I’ll go 3 for the reasonableness of winning the Rangers and 10 for the ridiculousness. The Rangers were a non-playoff team with a percentage of 0.564 when the season was suspended in March, and they were dragged into the postseason when the NHL expanded them to 24 teams. They are in the middle of a renovation – and a respectable one at that: Two years after a letter to the fans stated that difficult times were ahead, they are already back in fashion.
That lottery got absolutely ridiculous when the Rangers’ ball was prematurely dropped into the tube of the machine by its handler, causing everyone to say, “Huh, it would be fun if the Rangers won” until they actually did . But please don’t slander this person for ruining the surprise: can you imagine the frostbite he got holding the ball? (Just kidding guys. If the NHL actually had the ability to rig a lottery, Connor McDavid would be a Maple Leaf or a Flyer.)
Emily Kaplan: The full disclaimer here is that I grew up a Rangers fan. Young Emily would rate this as a 1 (she also once thought Wade Redden was going to lead New York to a Stanley Cup, so take that opinion any way you want).
A neutral observer’s opinion: This is probably a 5. There’s always a perception that while the league is obsessed with expanding into different markets, it still prefers its marquee teams. It’s not good for the NHL if the Rangers aren’t relevant. New York also got lucky in a lottery slot last year. Even so, the Rangers were pretty worthy of the eight eligible teams.
The team that should be the most disappointed if they lose to Lafreniere is _______.
Chaplain: The Minnesota Wild. I feel for the list that Bill Guerin inherited; The savages are old and slow. “There must definitely be changes,” said Guerin the previous Monday. He also said that not only is there no real # 1 center on the list, but he also doesn’t believe there is one in the entire organizational system. Not ideal! In addition, the Wild have never chosen a higher than number 3. But Guerin did something that his two predecessors didn’t when he signed the esteemed prospect Kirill Kaprizov from Russia. Kaprizov will be injecting some teenagers into the wild next year. I just wish he had a wingman to come in with.
Wyshynski: The Toronto Maple Leafs. Granted, the Leafs shouldn’t have tried to win first choice as number 3 in the Atlantic Division. But when the NHL wanted to hold the draft before the season restarted, executives whined about the possibility of a team winning the top selection and the Stanley Cup that same season. This was the system that was created to appease them, and it was because of this that four playoff teams had one shot to win the lottery. In the case of the Leafs, it’s a team that is looking at a flat salary cap for at least the next two seasons. Lafreniere would have been a godsend, both in terms of impact and cheap labor.
Instead, the Leafs lose the first overall selection and must hand their first selection (13th overall selection) to the Hurricanes after terminating Patrick Marleau’s contract with it last summer. GM Kyle Dubas had better weeks.
Complete this sentence: “Thank the hockey gods _____ didn’t win the lottery.”
Wyshynski: The Winnipeg Jets. Don’t get me wrong: They are a deserving team and one that would have missed the playoffs by a percentage of 0.563 points in a traditional 16-team postseason. But if I could be a little selfish here as an American NHL fan: Canadian teams sucked up Connor McDavid (Oilers), Leon Draisaitl (Oilers), Auston Matthews (Leafs), Patrik Laine (Jets) and Matthew Tkachuk (Flames). , Elias Pettersson (Canucks) and Quinn Hughes (Canucks). These are some of the most exciting young players in the world, all north of the border in the monastery. I’m usually not a believer in “[Player X] belongs in a place like New York! “but yeah, Lafreniere belonged in a place like New York.
Chaplain: The Edmonton Oilers. I just don’t think I could take it. You had four first overall selections from 2010 to 2015. Four! Sure, McDavid and Draisaitl could use some help with the scoring, but when your franchise has so many chances to draw first and still does silly things like swapping one of them for a defender, you need some time off.
Which team that emerged from the qualifying round regrets not having received a shot at Alexis Lafreniere at the moment?
Chaplain: The Montreal Canadiens. (The answer could also be the Montreal media, who would have killed to finally see a Quebecois star from Quebec’s team). The Habs are happy to get into the playoffs, of course, but they have nothing to do with being the 24th best team when the season was interrupted. While the qualifier win over Pittsburgh was inspiring, it turned out that this team has a great defensive buy-in but could use some skills to move forward. The Canadians have Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in the pipeline so they can’t be too salty.
Wyshynski: The Arizona Coyotes. Yes, it’s great that they caused a stir in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. (Praise to Darcy Kuemper for that). But here’s another drought they could have broken this summer: for the first time since moving to Arizona, and for the first time as a franchise since 1981 when the original Winnipeg Jets picked Dale Hawerchuk, first choice in the NHL draft. The Coyotes are in a constant battle for popularity, relevance, and especially a new arena. Having a basic offensive talent like Lafreniere to build around would have been a coup. Heck, it might even have convinced Taylor Hall to stay too.
Where does Lafreniere fit in with the Rangers?
Chaplain: He fits quite well in the middle of the six – and it can’t be a mistake: The expectation is that Lafreniere will be in the line-up on the opening day and spend the entire season with the big club. (He would also not be eligible to play full-time in the AHL due to CHL rules.) The Rangers’ coaching team already has the blueprint for getting a teenage rookie into the line-up, as they did with Kakko last year. Like Kakko, Lafreniere comes into play with a lot of fanfare, and since he’s a range up, he’s got a lot more hype.
Lafreniere averaged 2.15 points per game with his junior team last season (the CHL’s highest average since McDavid) and was MVP of the Junior World Championship. He might have some of the same growing pains that adapt to the NHL. For Kakko it went from European to North American ice cream. For Lafreniere, going from the tallest, most talented man on the ice to one of many great, talented men on the ice, every night. At the Rangers, Lafreniere is surrounded by a good young core. Artemi Panarin is the centerpiece, and Mika Zibanejad, Kakko, Pavel Buchnevich, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin are all 27 years or younger. The end of the renovation is in sight and the window opening is quite light.
Will this change the 2020-21 Rangers’ trajectory?
Wyshynski: It does, but not dramatically. Lafreniere joins a Rangers team that is gifted with talent from the start, from established stars like Panarin, Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to the next generation of great personalities like Kakko and Filip Chytil. Having him on a rookie deal below a flat salary cap for the next two seasons is a source of envy for other clubs and allows Rangers to aggressively try to get veteran help in the middle and defense.
But this is a team that is cleverly re-shaping itself back into the shape of a cup competitor. The Rangers were as an offensive team earlier than planned. Now they are even better. One question, however, is GM Jeff Gorton perhaps regretting giving Kreider that full move for the first four seasons of his seven-year overtime after having Panarin and Lafreniere on the left?
Assuming we have a full season of 82 games, Lafreniere’s 2020-21 stats line will be ________.
Chaplain: 79 games played, 22 goals, 33 assists, 55 points.
Wyshynski: 76 games played, 31 goals, 29 assists, 60 points.
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