Report: Rangers still believe in Lafreniere despite healthy scratch

The New York Rangers raised some eyebrows when the team made Alexis Lafreniere a healthy scratch during Thursday's shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it doesn't appear that the winger will be on the move anytime soon.

"My understanding is, yeah, certainly, predictably, there were teams that checked in with the Rangers last week after his healthy scratch that made news around the league," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading." "But the reality is that the Rangers have told those teams, 'Hey, we still believe in this young man.'

"The Rangers - my understanding is - have told the same to Lafreniere himself, that they hope this is a good reset, and they very much believe in his long-term potential here. So for now, he's certainly a Ranger."

New York selected Lafreniere with the first overall pick in 2020 after he led the QMJHL with 77 assists and 112 points in 52 games as a member of the Rimouski Oceanic.

However, his NHL tenure hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations many had for the 21-year-old. He currently has 17 points in 37 games so far this season - his third in the big leagues - and has yet to crack the 40-point mark in his career.

Before his surprising scratch, Lafreniere was demoted to the fourth line during the Rangers' 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals last Tuesday.

He returned to the lineup on Jan. 1 against the Florida Panthers and logged a season-low 11:48 of ice time while failing to register a point in the 5-3 victory.

Lafreniere owns 36 goals and 33 assists in 172 career NHL games.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.