Although negotiations for a contract extension with forward Alexis Lafreniere, 22, have been put on hold, general manager of the New York Rangers Chris Drury has made it plain that he intends to retain the player long-term. After this season, Lafrenière—who will be a restricted free agent—will bank on himself to further boost his worth after having a career-best 57-point performance. On September 17, Drury spoke with the media at his training camp,
according to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today. However, the Rangers general manager refrained from going into detail on the contract issue. “I’m not going to get into any private discussions or negotiations,” Drury stated. “(Lafreniere) is a very important young piece for our team, not only because of where we drafted him but because he continues to grow, and in our eyes,
continues to get better and better.” The Rangers aren’t anticipated to hold meaningful contract negotiations with Lafreniere prior to the upcoming campaign, despite the winger’s value. Mercogliano reports that the group and Lafreniere’s team have agreed to hold off on pursuing an extension until the following summer. The 2020 first-overall selection is placing his money on the possibility that he may be able to land a more lucrative contract with another strong campaign.
Mercogliano stated on September 17 that Lafreniere “will wait until after the season, barring an over-the-top offer.” Mercogliano based his choice on the presumption that the forward and his agents think their career-high season was only the beginning of a consistent progress that would enable him to earn more money than he does now after the next season.
Lafreniere intends to build on his 28 goals and 29 assists in the upcoming season as he focuses on establishing himself. In 16 games during the previous season’s playoffs, he scored 14 points.
