Former No. 1 overall pick signs two-year bridge deal with Rangers

The first overall pick from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was in restricted-free-agency limbo after his entry-level contract expired at the end of the 2022-23 season. The contract’s $2.325M AAV puts him in the same ballpark as New York’s 2019 No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko ($2.1M AAV), who will be due for a new deal at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Lafreniere is just the third member of the 2020 draft class to ink a second contract. No. 3 overall pick Tim Stützle signed an eight-year, $8.35M AAV contract with the Ottawa Senators last September and No. 21 overall pick Yegor Chinakhov agreed to a one-year, $800,000 extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past April.

The move now puts the Rangers right up to the salary-cap ceiling. According to CapFriendly, New York is actually about $46,000 over the limit, but in-house roster moves will be made before the season begins to make the team compliant, leaving little wiggle room for the front office.

Despite showing flashes of greatness, Lafreniere has put up just 91 points through his 216 career NHL games (0.42 points per game), which may have led to New York general manager Chris Drury offering him this two-year bridge deal.

But there is hope for the 21-year-old; his 13 even-strength goals ranked sixth on the Rangers, and his 35 even-strength points ranked eighth. Under former head coach Gerard Gallant, the Rangers leaned heavily on their first power-play unit, which Lafreniere was not a part of. He averaged the seventh-highest power-play time on ice per game among New York forwards at 1:23, playing almost exclusively on the team’s second unit.

With more time on the man advantage under new bench boss Peter Laviolette, Lafreniere’s numbers could increase drastically and make this deal look like a bargain.