We now know what the problem is with Alexis Lafrenière

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Jeff Drouin
April 16, 2022 (11:24)

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On Wednesday night, the New York Rangers faced the Flyers in Philadelphia and despite their 4-0 win, it was the absence of Alexis Lafreniere that caught the attention of hockey fans in Quebec.

It continues to be the talk of the town.

For the first time in his NHL career, the Quebec forward was left out of the lineup by his head coach, Gerard Gallant, and as reported by Jeff Drouin of Fanadiens.com, the coach had an explanation for his decision not to dress Lafreniere.

"Alexis is not being sidelined because of poor performance. That has no bearing here. He's a young guy and he's looked tired recently. He's never played an 82-game schedule before now, so there's no need to panic. He'll be back next game!"

So the big concern for the Rangers right now is the fatigue level of the young Lafreniere.

It is true that since his arrival with the Rangers, the very first pick of the 2020 draft has not broken anything in the NHL so far.

This season, he's collected a total of 25 points, including 15 goals in 72 games. That's not bad for a player who is averaging just under 14 minutes per game. However, he has failed to put his name on the score sheet in his last eight games.

But beyond the stats, one thing we have to note is that the Rangers' successes are not resting on his shoulders at the moment. Another good example of my point, Finnish forward Kaapo Kakko, the second pick in the 2019 auction, is also not off to a spectacular start in New York, as evidenced by his record of 26 goals in 154 games, one less than Lafreniere.

If these two players had ever been drafted by the Arizona Coyotes, one would think that they would probably have better stats, as their role on the team would definitely be more important than with the Rangers.

Sometimes patience is required with these types of players who can still be called gems within the organization.