Major statement regarding a potential trade involving Lafrenière: Kent Hughes might have the opportunity to acquire him next summer

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Elias Edmonson
August 24, 2023 (6:47 PM)

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The New York Rangers finally announced the contract extension of Quebecer forward, Alexis Lafrenière, last night. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft signed a two-season deal with an annual salary of $2.325 million.

While many believed that Laffy's future in New York is now secured, the esteemed Elliotte Friedman made a major statement on his podcast 32 Thoughts today. Indeed, he believes that if the 21-year-old left winger has another difficult season in 2023-2024, he will be traded by the Rangers' front office next summer.

"Everyone within the organization is sort of in a position where they're saying, listen, we're going to try with a new coach, see where it goes... if it's not good next summer, then I think you can trade him at a salary that I believe teams can handle because I think if it's another year like this one, they'll probably have to move on... To me, it's a 2-year contract for Lafrenière, but it's a 1-year contract in New York and then we'll see." - Elliotte Friedman

Wow! This is a statement that speaks volumes about the Rangers' intentions.

Even if the forward has not yet met the expectations placed on him, there's no doubt that the Quebecer is destined for a promising future. If Peter Laviolette is unable to jumpstart his career, a change of scenery could certainly benefit him.

Will Kent Hughes take advantage of this situation to land another highly talented player? At just 21 years old, the left winger could very well explode in the coming years, becoming a key element in Montreal's lineup. Moreover, as we have seen with Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach, Martin St. Louis excels with young players and might be the ideal candidate to aid in his progression.

Selected first overall in 2020, Laffy has played the last three seasons with the New York Rangers. However, since joining the NHL, he has only scored 47 goals and 44 assists (91 points) in 216 games. Without a doubt, these are rather disappointing statistics for the "best" forward of his draft class.