Novak vs. Lafreniere

[bobbyorr69]

G,A,P,PPP, PIM, +/-

I currently have Novak on my team but I am considering dropping him for Lafreniere.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[PenguinHunter]

I have one more year of patience for Lafreniere.

I am making the move and hoping this is the year that he takes off.

How many years did it take before Hughes took off?
MacKinnon?

I am willing to bet of Lafreniere taking a big step this year.

[senryu]

I'm telling myself that Lafreniere is Pavel Buchnevich. Jerked around and mismanaged by the Rangers and then when he goes to another team, his talent will finally be revealed.

[LuigiC173]

I'm telling myself that Lafreniere is Pavel Buchnevich. Jerked around and mismanaged by the Rangers and then when he goes to another team, his talent will finally be revealed.

stop...

[Schneider]

I have one more year of patience for Lafreniere.

I am making the move and hoping this is the year that he takes off.

How many years did it take before Hughes took off?
MacKinnon?

I am willing to bet of Lafreniere taking a big step this year.

Stop comparing him to MacKinnon. Mac played on a team with depressed scoring and he still was one of the leading scorers, if not the leading scorer. His "ascension" came as a result of his team getting better around him.

Similar thing with Hughes. Hughes was his teams 2nd leading scorer in his sophomore season. His team started getting better around him, along with personal development, bang, paced for 94pts in his 3rd year. Hughes also needed to put on physical strength as he was ill-prepared for the NHL his rookie year, esp. coming from USHL.

Laf has none of those excuses. Old for his draft year, physically mature early and has stayed at the same junior height and weight. Laf finished 9th, 8th, and 9th in team scoring after 3 seasons. As the team has gotten better around him, he hasn't.

And the thing is, I don't even think he's a bust. If he was able to get a top 6 role with PP1 time, he would look a lot better. The problem is that he hasn't earned a promotion like that. He's come into this preseason looking uninterested. You want your star players to have the internal drive for self-reflection and improvement. Come back with an improved shot, better skating, stronger, etc. That's what separates the Sids, the McDavids, the Macks, the Bedards of the world, you fight these guys to get off the ice. That's why a guy like Shane Wright fell, that's why Laf does not belong in the same conversation as those you mentioned. He's getting roasted by Rangers fans, as he should.

He does not look like a 1OA guy. He doesn't skate well enough. He doesn't have great hands. His shot is average. He does however think the game well and is a good playmaker.

I think there's almost 0 chance he becomes a superstar. But I can still see see him being a top 6, 70-80pt guy someday. And in banger leagues, he's miles above Novak. But there's no role for him in NY has it stands, and he hasn't forced anyones hand with his lackluster performance.

[metaldude26]

Give me Novak. Sneaky good scoring upside, and more importantly is actually getting an opportunity to flourish. With more banger stats, maybe you could ride it out with Lafreniere a little longer, knowing he's at least getting you some peripherals.