Reason To Worry on Broadway?

When your an athlete and you come into a sport as the top overall pick in your given profession, there's a log of pressure. If your Alexis Lafreniere, the pressure is double. Not only are you the top overall pick in the National Hockey League, you were picked by the New York Rangers, one of the most storied franchises in the league. There's such high expectations for both him and the team and right now neither one are being met. Yes it is early in the season, but because it's such a shortened season, it turning up the pressure even more for both.

The Rangers are in 6th place in the Mass Mutual East Division, with 11 points in 13 games and have lost three straight. There is guys starting to find their touch, but Lafreniere isn't one of them. He's got one goal on the year, scoring the overtime winner to beat the Buffalo Sabres on January 28th in Buffalo. That's it. Sure, he's taken 20 shot son goal and has the one which is the OT winner, but there still leaving much to be desired.

I get it, he's still a teenager, he's only 19 years old. It does take some time to adjust to the speed of things at this level. Some players have made quick adjustment to playing at this level. Some guys get it right away (like Auston Matthews). Some guys it take time to grow into the player they were meant to be (Vincent Lecavalier comes to mind there). Then there's guys who have such high expectations and totally flame out (no better example then Alexandre Daigle).

There's no doubt that Lafrenier can find the back of the net. He had over 100 points in each of his final two years in juniors with Rimouski. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that this kid has all the goods to make it in this league and be an impact player. He just needs to be able to really find his sea legs as it were and let his game do the talking. His 20 shots on goal in 13 games tells me he isn't really afraid to let go of a shot, he's just having a little trouble hitting his mark. The points will start to come in due time it just going to take a little while to really hit his stride.

Should there be reason to worry about him. Not at this point, he's still young and trying to find his way in the greatest league on earth. All great things come in time and eventually the great ones break loose. Maybe it will start tonight when the Rangers take on the Devils at home.