Why Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere must always face this uncomfortable reality
There’s an uncomfortable reality for Alexis Lafreniere that comes with him being a former No. 1 overall draft pick by the New York Rangers. And that reared its ugly side again Wednesday, when the most recent first overall pick in the NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer of the Islanders, was named the 2025-26 Calder Trophy winner as the League’s rookie of the year.
That’s just the latest example of how Lafreniere doesn’t measure up to others also selected with the top overall pick in the NHL Draft. To rub salt in the open wound, Schaefer placed first on every ballot in the voting, the first unanimous Calder winner in 33 years, since Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne in 1992-93. Oh, and Schaefer, who has all the makings of a generational talent, plays for the Rangers’ biggest rival whose home arena is just 19 miles or so from Madison Square Garden.
Meanwhile, Macklin Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 draft by the San Jose Sharks, was named team captain for Canada at the 2026 World Championships. This after he completed a 115-point season and was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy as League MVP.
Celebrini is 19 years old — or one year older than Schaefer. Another generational talent.
Then there’s Jack Hughes (2019 first overall) scoring the Golden Goal for the United States at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, to go along with five straight NHL seasons of at least 26 goals, including 43 in 2022-23.
How about a look at the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Juraj Slafkovsky (2022 top overall pick), coming off his first 30-goal and 70-point season at age 22, plays a huge role for the Montreal Canadiens in their Cup quest. Right now, they’re trying to reach the Eastern Conference Final, but first must get past the Buffalo Sabres — and their captain Rasmus Dahlin (2018 No. 1 overall selection), who’s a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s defenseman.
You’re getting the point loud and clear, right? There are no awards, 100-point seasons, nor international recognition for Lafreniere. No one calls him a generational talent. Because he isn’t.
Here’s what Lafreniere is. He’s a solid, established forward, good enough to play in the Rangers’ top six. He scored a career-high 57 points twice, including this season, and has a pair of 20+-goal seasons on his resume. He stood out in the 2024 postseason, tying for the team lead with eight goals, although they ultimately lost in six games of their best-of-7 conference final series against the Florida Panthers.
That playoff run helped Lafreniere land a seven-year, $52.15 million contract, which led to even more scrutiny when his production back-slid in 2024-25.
Lafreniere is still young; he’ll be 25 next season. There’s time for more growth. But he’s not a superstar, never will be. In fact, he’s not an All-Star either. Perhaps he can get there.
Perhaps he’d be better off playing for a team that didn’t use the No. 1 overall pick on him. Not that the Rangers were wrong to do so. Lafreniere was the absolute consensus top prospect in his draft year, coming off a pair of 100-point seasons in the QMJHL.
It’s just that in the NHL, Lafreniere is a good player. Nothing wrong with that, especially if he was selected later in the first round. Just not first overall. Remember we’re talking about a legacy of top overall picks that includes Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, and the more recent selections already mentioned.
Heck, even Connor Bedard, the 2023 No. 1 pick, scored 30 goals and had 75 points this season, and hasn’t had fewer than 61 points in any of his three NHL seasons, despite rumblings that he’s not all that he’s cracked up to be.
But this is the burden Lafreniere carries. The weight just gets heavier on days like this, when we dredge up his name because of the latest success of some other top overall pick.
It’s Alexis Lafreniere’s uncomfortable reality.
