Lafreniere's breakout leads to season success for the New York Rangers

Alexis Lafreniere was thought to be a bust by the majority of hockey media, for the past two seasons. He's shown glimpses of what made him a 1st round pick but had not found consistency until recently.

Lafreniere is a Quebec native who was picked 1st overall in the 2020 NHL Draft amid a Rangers rebuild. The weight of expectations for Lafreniere had to be heavy on his shoulders.

This season should quell all talk of a "bust" as he has helped propel the New York Ranger forward into the post-season, past the Carolina Hurricanes.

And hopefully, all burdens were lifted from Lafreniere's consciousness.

While only finishing his first season in the NHL as a 19-year-old, with 21 points( 12 G, 9 A) in 56 games he would increase his production yearly. He ended this season with a season-high 57 points(28 G, 29 A) this year.

Lafreniere has matured nicely, despite his different and chaotic utilizations, including being on the "Kid Line" when Gallant was running the team. The line featured Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil and was highly popular with fans.

With Lafreniere's linemates, like Vinnie Troecheck scoring 77points ( 25 G, 52 A) and Artemi Panarin scoring 120 points( 49 G, 71 A) having career years, helped Lafreniere's production skyrocket and put him fourth on the team in goals, also sixth in assists and fifth in points.

Lafreniere of course, lending his hand with 10 points( 4 G, 6 A) and adding his name to the roster of five players with double-digit points, including linemates: Artemi Panarin with 11 points( 4 G, 7 A) and Vinnie Troecheck with 14 points( 6 G, 8 A) with Troecheck and Panarin securing victory in key moments against the Hurricanes in overtime, in Games 2(Panarin) and 3(Troecheck).