Rangers Fans Furious At Lafreniere Following Lazy Backcheck

Laf Is A Bust

Rangers fans were not pleased with the former 1st overall pick last Saturday when an apparent lack of effort lead to a goal against in a preseason game against the Islanders. Check out the play for yourself.


One can clearly see Lafreniere decided to not defend against the rush to the best of his capabilities as he was primarily gliding back towards his own zone, at least a step behind the play. When a pass eventually came from the wing towards the middle of the ice Lafreniere was too far behind the play to do anything but a desperate diving attempt to breakup the pass which did not work. Ultimately, the Islanders scored on the chance and Rangers fans were not thrilled about it.

Big Year Ahead For Lafreniere, Rangers

This is a pivotal year for Alexis Lafreniere as the former 1st overall pick has yet to establish himself as a reliable top-six forward in the NHL. He's coming off his third season in the league in which he set a career high in points at just 39. In seven playoff games last year he went scoreless, putting up zeros across the board. Rangers fans have been patient with the young player but that patience is truly being put to the test at this point, and rightfully so. Lafreniere is currently 4th in the 2020 draft class in career points behind Tim Stuzle, Lucas Raymond, and Dawson Mercer despite playing more games than each of them. In the case of Raymond and Mercer, he has played more than 50 more games.

As seen on hockey latest: New York Rangers Fans are Furious at Alexis Lafreniere After a Lazy Back Check