How Vincent Trocheck’s return to Rangers could spark Alexis Lafreniere
The New York Rangers celebrated their first win on home ice Monday, sparked to life by the return of 32-year-old center Vincent Trocheck.
Trocheck, who returned after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury, had two assists in a lively 6-3 win over the Nashville Predators, snapping New York’s 0-6-1 season-opening loosing streak at Madison Square Garden.
But not to be lost in Trocheck’s return is that linemate Alexis Lafreniere had his best game of the season.
Lafreniere was named First Star of the Game on Monday after leading the team with three points (one goal, two assists). He was on the ice for four of New York’s six goals and tallied his first power-play goal of the season, taking a slick feed from Gabe Perreault on the rush and beating Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros through the five-hole 1:23 into the second period.
“I think he played real well,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the game.
While Lafreniere’s offensive skills were on full display, Sullivan also praised 24-year-old for an effort that didn’t show up in his final point tally. Late in the first period, Lafreniere headed toward the front of the net and screened Saros; the goaltender never saw Vladislav Gavrikov’s long shot hit the back of the net for a goal that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead just 1:51 after the Predators had tied the game.
“We’ve been preaching it since day one of training camp, making sure that we get people [net front], and it’s another way to create offense,” Sullivan said. “I think ‘Laf’ has done a really good job at making strides, just having an awareness and a willingness to go to that area of the rink. We don’t score if he’s not there.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft also played with a fervor and confidence that has felt lacking at times during his six seasons with the Blueshirts.
“Laf was so hungry, nice to see him like that,” linemate Artemi Panarin said. “Sometimes [the] puck [does] not go to the net, and then when he’s making passes, people [are] not scoring. It’s not helping. Just happy for him.”
Lafreniere has boasted strong analytics to start the season, leading all Blueshirts with a 62.87 expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5, and ranking third in individual high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Unfortunately, those analytic numbers weren’t translating into goals and assists, as has often been the case throughout his career.
Including Monday, Lafreniere has quietly put up eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last seven games — after having just three points in his first 11 games. He’s now third on the Rangers with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), trailing only Panarin (12 points) and defenseman Adam Fox (13).
His finishing has taken a turn for the better. Lafreniere snapped a 12-game stretch without a goal on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring on a breakaway with a slick deke and another five-hole finish. It will take a few more tallies to resurrect Lafreniere’s career-worst 8.1 shooting percentage, well below his career mark of 13.2, but recent results suggest that brighter days lie ahead.
Familiar linemates could bring out the best in Lafreniere
Trocheck’s return wasn’t just a spark for the locker room; it also revived one of New York’s most effective lineup combinations. Trocheck centered Lafreniere and Panarin on the Rangers’ second line for the first time since Oct. 9, when he was injured in a 4-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres.
The results speak for themselves. The trio combined for seven points, three by Lafreniere, two goals by Panarin and the two assists for Trocheck. The line paced New York with a team-high 66.71 expected goals for percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick, in an effort reminiscent of 2023-24, when Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere led all NHL forward lines with 54 goals at 5-on-5.
“When you put lines together, it’s important to be on the same page. These three players, they know each other really well,” MSG analyst and Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist said postgame. “It’s still impressive to me, though, when you sit out for that long and you come in, and it looked like they didn’t really miss much time apart, the three of them.”
Trocheck played a massive role in the trio’s seamless reunion, bringing his trademark energy and physicality to every shift.
“It was great to see him in game form, but also what that did to that line,” Lundqvist observed. “You never really know where it’s gonna go when a player’s been out for that long and it’s not easy to have an impact right away, but he did. And that line — it’s been so good for the Rangers over the last couple years, so obviously it’s been a big piece missing and it affects the other lines as well.”
Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere all set career highs in points in 2023-24, helping the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy and come within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final. Lafreniere, in particular, seemed to benefit from playing alongside Panarin and Trocheck, surpassing the 20-goal mark (28) and 50-point mark (57) for the only time in his career thus far.
That fed into the postseason, when Lafreniere tied for the team lead with eight goals. He arguably played the best hockey of his NHL career in a grueling six-game Eastern Conference Final series against the Florida Panthers.
With Trocheck reinvigorating the lineup and Panarin enjoying renewed success (three goals, five points) in three games after shaving his head for good luck last week, Lafreniere is again in position to reap the benefits of a dominant forward line.
Lafreniere has rarely been able to sustain this type of success over any significant portion of time — 2023-24 being the exception in an otherwise inconsistent Rangers tenure. But they need reliable production from their top six, and Lafreniere remains an integral piece of that puzzle.
