While one of the Rangers’ biggest focuses heading into this season was Igor Shesterkin’s contract situation, they’ve also reportedly been in talks with one of their other key impending free agents.
New York is said to have been working on negotiating a massive long-term deal with Alexis Lafreniere during the summer, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said during Thursday night’s Prime broadcast.
Those discussions are still ongoing, and Seravalli reports there are a few options on the table. But sources told him that a deal is expected to be in the eight-year range with an average annual value of around $8 million.
"This is a big moment as they look to put the future cap picture together for the team," Seravalli said. "Shesterkin obviously plays a big role in that, but Lafreniere being 23 years old is really just scratching the surface -- they’re going to need to take care of this guy."
Lafreniere got off to a bit of a slow start to his pro career after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, but he was finally able to take the next step in his development last season.
The youngster established himself as a legit top-six winger as he helped make up one of the most productive lines in hockey, playing alongside Hart Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin and All-Star center Vincent Trocheck.
Lafreniere was a threat every time he touched the ice as he topped the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career (28) and finished with a career-high 57 points, while appearing in all 82 games.
Lafreniere continued to produce when things mattered the most, as he logged 14 points and finished tied with Trocheck and Chris Kreider for the team lead with eight goals across New York’s 16 postseason games.
He also started this year on a high note by recording a pair of points, including a beautiful toe-drag goal during New York’s season-opening rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
GM Chris Drury didn’t want to get into specifics about negotiations while speaking to reporters a few weeks ago, but he said that the organization's focus was to keep Lafreniere in the Big Apple for a "long time."