The Washington Capitals have made several moves to try and turn their roster into a contender after a really weak 2022-23 season. They added Max Pacioretty and Matthew Phillips and also traded for Joel Edmundson from the Montreal Canadiens. These new additions should be enough to make the Caps a fringe playoff team, but they still don’t have a strong enough group to be considered a real Stanley Cup contender, which is where they want to be.
Related: Capitals Locking Up Wilson Proves Loyalty To Lifelong Capital
New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere remains unsigned. He is a solid player who has yet to break out after being selected first overall by the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He is a restricted free agent (RFA), and while he hasn’t given any indication that he might be unhappy in New York, there may be a better opportunity for him elsewhere.
The Capitals have limited cap space, but tendering an offer sheet to Lafreniere isn’t an awful idea if they can make the money work. He is an offensive-minded player, gifted with the puck on his stick, but hasn’t become the star the Rangers expected him to be. He plays in the Rangers’ bottom-six but would likely play in the Capitals’ top-six if they choose to pursue him. He is also a solid playmaker, who could flourish alongside captain Alex Ovechkin on the power play.
Lafreniere’s Career So Far
Lafreniere was the first overall pick in 2020 when the Rangers won the draft lottery and snatched him up. He was considered a potential generational player after tearing up the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), scoring 35 goals and 77 assists through 52 games as the captain of Rimouski Oceanic, as well as scoring four goals and six assists through five games representing Team Canada at the World Junior Championship in his draft year.
Over three seasons with the Oceanic, Lafreniere scored 114 goals and 297 points through 173 games for a 1.72 points-per-game average. He has scored 47 goals and 91 points through 216 games since he was drafted for a 0.42 points-per-game average. While he hasn’t managed to translate his strong offensive output to the NHL, he has been a strong two-way player for the Rangers. Without a contract this close to the season, though, makes me wonder if he’s lower on the team’s totem pole than I thought.
He spent most of the 2023-24 season on the Rangers’ third line, scoring 16 goals and 23 assists through 81 games, both career highs, and he ranked ninth in team scoring. However, he had no points in the team’s first-round series loss to the New Jersey Devils but still did his part defensively.
What Would It Take the Capitals to Bring Him In?
The Rangers have $2.2 million in cap space to play with, so any offer the Capitals might make for Lafreniere has to be above that number. I would go as high as $2.5 million for him and sign him to a bridge deal for two to three years. The issue here is that the team would have to find that money. The Capitals are $700,000 over the cap, which is okay until the season begins, but if they want to make this move, they’ll have to move some things around.
Given all the rumors surrounding him, I wonder if the Capitals would consider trading Evgeny Kuznetsov. His $7.8 million contract would give the Capitals more than enough playing room to outbid the Rangers for Lafreniere, and a three-year deal worth $2.5 million would give Lafreniere more than enough time to prove himself as a top-six player while being on a moveable deal if he requires yet another fresh start.
While there are no reports linking Lafreniere to the Capitals or any team for that matter, it would be great to see the Caps make a splash. He is a great player and would fit right in. Regardless of the outcome and feelings from other GMs, I’d be all over this move.
