The 2022-23 version of the Montreal Canadiens will likely look very different than this year’s and for a myriad of reasons. We have mentioned five players likely to get traded but now some interesting rumors have started growing in intensity in the last couple of weeks and shouldn’t be ignored.
According to many sources, the New York Rangers would be open to trading former first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière. Of course, it won’t be an easy task to acquire him given that he has picked things up since moving on the Rangers’ top line as of late.
"I think the sky's the limit for him...it's so cool seeing him improve week by week and day by day"
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) February 2, 2022
Chris Kreider speaks about Alexis Lafrenière: pic.twitter.com/W5lKmrOlYg
Steve Paulus over at Blue Line Station recently wrote about the possibility of a Habs-Rangers trade involving Lafrenière. He mentions how having Artemi Panarin signed through 2026, as well as Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow signed through 2027 creates a log jam on the left side. Despite Goodrow being able to play all three forward positions, the prospects of left winger Brennan Othmann is not to be ignored. The 16th overall pick in 2021 is having a great season in his final year with the OHL Flint Firebirds so far posting 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points in 38 games.
Of course, there’s never a guarantee that both Panarin and Kreider will able to play at an elite level in 6 years. By then, Lafrenière will be in his prime and although he’s had a slow start to his career, tallying 34 points in 101 NHL games thus far, there’s no reason to believe he can blossom into a regular 1st winger.
What plays against Lafrenière is his inability to play elsewhere. The Rangers have tried using him on the right side and he looked completely lost and uncomfortable. He’s even had a few reps down the middle and that result was even more disastrous.
The Rangers and certainly Jeff Gorton at the time knew what they were getting in Lafrenière and the situation they were potentially getting themselves in. However, you don’t pass up on a prospect that is the undisputed number one pick of a draft, hence why he was picked.
Now the million dollar question – who would the Habs have to give up in order to land the former Rimouski Océanic star?