The overarching reality surrounding the Rangers entering the season revolved around a now-or-never chance for their core, with expiring contracts and difficult decisions awaiting in spring whenever their chase for a Stanley Cup ends.
But they took a critical step toward keeping a piece of that nucleus — and an emerging piece in the middle of a breakout stretch, at that — by agreeing to terms with winger Alexis Lafreniere on a seven-year extension worth just over $52 million ($7.45 million annual average value), $11 million total signing bonus and an eight-team no-trade list for the final five years, The Post’s Mollie Walker reported Friday.
Lafreniere has scored four goals after his tally Thursday, and recorded seven points through seven games, carrying over his success into the start of his fifth NHL campaign from the previous postseason when he tied for the Rangers lead with eight goals.
The extension will run through the 2031-32 season, with the AAV a significant bump from the $2.325 million he’ll make in 2024-25 — which would’ve been the final year of a two-year extension signed as a restricted free agent prior to last season.
That deal was the prelude to a Lafreniere revival in 2023-24 under head coach Peter Laviolette, who gave him a top-six role alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck and watched as Lafreniere set career-highs for goals, assists, points, games played, shots on goal, average ice time — just about everything.
After getting selected by the Rangers No. 1 overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lafreniere’s early taste of the professional level had been mostly about what he didn’t do.
About the expectations, realistic or not, that he didn’t meet. About the roles he held and the ones he couldn’t quite grasp.
But then he followed strides in the regular season with his postseason breakout. His two goals May 7 helped the Rangers take a 2-0 lead against the Hurricanes.
Two others two-and-a-half weeks later helped the Rangers grab a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers.
There was the puck he tucked into the top-right corner from the left slot. The time he skated to the front of the net and tipped in a pass from just outside the crease. There were the highlight-reel shots — such as against Carolina, when he flipped the puck off the back of goaltender Frederik Andersen — paired with crisp movement with the puck and suggested that this was far from a fluke.
This was Lafreniere discovering some comfort and flashing his potential.
“It’s a good league — the best league in the world — and you’ve got to adjust,” Lafreniere told Walker earlier this month. “Just tried to trust the process and play your game and have a good attitude. Stay patient.”
So far, through a seven-game sample in 2024-25, Lafreniere has continued to fill his role as an indispensable forward in the Rangers top-six.
The ice time with their top power-play unit hasn’t followed yet. That’s still another step for the 23-year-old to unlock.
But he has collected a point in every game except the win over the Canadiens on Tuesday.
And two nights later against the Panthers, two nights after not cracking the scoring log, he veered toward the net behind the play, collected a pass from Adam Fox, maneuvered around Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and backhanded the puck into the net to even the game in the first period.
Still, as recently as that goal, Lafreniere’s tenure with the Rangers had an end date.
He would still become a restricted free agent if nothing transpired, even if his play from the past 13 months suggested that’d be an unlikely scenario.
“I love it here,” Lafreniere told Walker earlier this month. “Great place to be. Obviously, great team every year. Great teammates, great city.”
Then, the No. 1 overall pick on the Rangers roster got paid like one. It might be last call for some on the Rangers, but not for Lafreniere.
