Alexis Lafreniere hopes to find the Rangers’ breakthrough with the old line

For Alexis Lafreniere, the start of the 2024-25 season was an extension of last year. After scoring a career-high 57 points, he scored at least one in six of his first seven games.

He was given a seven-year contract, ensuring he would remain an important part of the Rangers core going forward. There was also a lot of continuity for the 23-year-old – he ran alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

Everything had come together to create the start of a breakout season.

But since opening his fifth NHL season with four goals in seven games, Lafreniere has scored just four goals in his last 17.

His problems are not isolated – the Rangers have begun to crack and their top nine continues to sputter, forcing head coach Peter Laviolette to change lines, mix up different pieces and deviate from what was done earlier this season and at the Presidents’ Trophy last year worked. Winning group.

This ultimately included Lafreniere’s separation from the duo, which helped stabilize his career.

But during a three-day reset between games, Laviolette opted to have Lafreniere surrounded by Trocheck and Panarin, with Jonny Brodzinski also appearing in place of Panarin (maintenance) on Wednesday.

He went back to what worked for Panarin. On what worked for Trocheck. What worked for Lafreniere, which is perhaps most important when considering the context behind his career. The trio led the NHL forward line with 54 goals last year. They became the centerpiece of the Rangers’ offense.

And while they could help the Rangers come out of their panic in Friday’s game against the Penguins, ice time with this session – rather than constant back and forth – could also prove to be a formula for Lafreniere to rediscover his early season performance.

“I think it’s possible,” Laviolette said of repeating the line’s success in 2023-24. “I think it’s definitely possible. I mean, there have been lines in history that played together for a few years, several years and were successful. So I think that’s possible.

“But again, just from a team standpoint, I think there’s another level, another gear that everyone has to get to, including that line.”

According to Natural Stat Trick, Lafreniere has skated alongside Panarin and Trocheck in 22 of the Rangers’ 24 games this year, and they lead the Blueshirts’ combinations in minutes logged.

But after Laviolette tinkered with his other units, the changes finally affected Lafreniere in Friday’s loss to the Flyers. He skated alongside Brett Berard and Trocheck to start the Canadiens’ game a day later, and alongside Panarin and Filip Chytil to start Monday’s blowout loss to the Devils.

Those games extended what has now been a six-game stretch without a goal, making Lafreniere’s longest drought since early March, and if he fails to score against Pittsburgh, it would be his longest stretch without a goal since January.

The pace at which he broke his career-best 28 goals from last year at the start of the season has suddenly fallen below that target. When asked if keeping Lafreniere with Panarin and Trocheck could lead to more goals, Laviolette replied succinctly: “I think that they have proven that they have a successful history together, And that’s what I do too.”

For now, Lafreniere will have the chance to prove Laviolette right, even if it might only be a short chance.

General manager Chris Drury made it known in his memo to other teams last month that the Rangers are open for business.

If trades are made, that could lead to more shuffling – additions and recalibrations aren’t as clear-cut as the first-line right winger and third-line midfielder from recent seasons with this core need.

But Laviolette has insisted he believes solutions already exist in the Rangers’ locker room. The group won last year. They also won earlier this year. In both cases, a productive Lafreniere was involved – and therefore also a productive Lafreniere-Panarin-Trocheck trio. So instead of continuing to shuffle, Laviolette reverted to his original top 9 since the start of this season.

“It was like that for a while,” Laviolette said. “It didn’t work so you’re postponing things, but a few days of training and the boys working together suggests it can have a positive impact on the upcoming game.”

And at the heart of that progress, in an ideal Rangers scenario, would be rekindling Lafreniere’s breakout season.