The New York Rangers’ power play is off to a slow start by their standards and it might make sense to give the top unit a tweak. The name that immediately comes to mind for an opportunity is Alexis Lafreniere, who recently signed a seven-year extension with the organization.
While the power play has been far from a problem for the start of 2024-25, the 25 percent success rate is a tick below last season’s 26.1 percent. You can see why head coach Peter Laviolette would want to stick with his top guns and not shake things up just yet after eight games.
“I think you have the look at the PP unit and the guys that have been on the ice for the last few years and the rate that they work at. It’s a high percentage and one of the tops in the league,” he said. “It’s about messing with that and inserting somebody else. I’m not saying that’s not gonna happen, there’s a chance it could at some point. We just made a decision to start the year the way that we finished last year.”
The Downside of Going With Lafreniere
Plus, promoting Lafreniere to the first unit does not come without its flaws. Somebody would have to come off the man-advantage. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox obviously won’t get demoted. You can’t take Chris Kreider off the top unit due to his elite net-front presence, and putting Lafreniere in Vincent Trocheck’s bumper spot doesn’t really make sense, given the 2020 first-overall pick’s playmaking ability.
The only viable option is taking off Mika Zibanejad, who serves as the power play’s triggerman. But there are two things to consider if Laviolette decides to eventually go that route.
First, the Rangers will have to change the setup of their power play. Currently, for the most part, Panarin with possession in the offensive zone works the right side of the ice. He has the option to either shoot the puck or lure defenders in and find an open lane for a cross-ice pass. Taking off Zibanejad, with his elite shot, eliminates that threat. That would mean Panarin would have to shift over to the left circle if the Rangers want the one-time option still in play. Sometimes with how the Rangers rotate on the ice, Panarin is at the left circle anyway. But if Zibanejad is taken off – rotating and finding shooting threats will be tougher.
The Upside With Lafreniere
While it comes with negatives, a case can be made by putting Lafreniere on the top unit. Last season, he was second on the team in five-on-five scoring for 43rd in the NHL. That alone tells you that he would likely see a significant boost in points with a promotion to the first power play unit.
More importantly, putting him on the right side of the ice (as a left-handed player) opens up another shooting threat. When operating on your off-side in the offensive zone, it’s easier to handle passes and can allow for quicker cross-ice passes. Plus, Lafreniere will be able to be in a shooting position if he decides to crash into a slot coming in from the right side, which is not something Panarin can really do.
Overall, the change would give opposing teams something else to think about for a power play that’s already tough enough to defend.
While more options don’t hurt, Rangers fans should give the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt. It’s early in the season and the playoffs are months away. There’s plenty of time to figure it out and take the first power play unit to another gear. But the Rangers shouldn’t hesitate to at least rotate Lafreniere on the number one unit with Zibanejad. If it works, it will give the coaches more options come playoff time. Lafreniere will get more experience. But sometimes it’s important to be wise to the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And the Rangers power play is far from reaching the lows seen in the John Tortorella era.
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