‘I can be even better’; Lafreniere aims to build on big finish for Rangers

“I feel like I can take a step. I like my second half, but I can be even better, so that’s kind of my mindset for next year.”

More confident Lafreniere looks to build on strong finish

For perhaps the first time in his six NHL seasons, Lafreniere played with confidence, driving to the net and becoming a physical presence. Lafreniere’s production finally began to match his underlying stats, which had always been strong but had rarely yielded the kind of offensive numbers expected of a player picked No. 1 six years ago.

So what made the difference?

“I just feel my confidence the last 30-40 games, just the way I played, making plays and trusting yourself,” he said. “I feel that’s a big part of playing good if you play with confidence. I feel that was the biggest difference.”

Another difference for Lafreniere was where his offense was coming from.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

“I tried to challenge him and say hey, here’s an opportunity for you to grow your game,” coach Mike Sullivan said shortly before the season ended, “and I think most recently he’s really embraced it.”

That he did — and Lafreniere said it’s a part of his game he intends to work even harder at for next season.

“You look at goals around the League — they’re scored around the net, so you have to get there,” he said. “That’s a part of my game I can still improve; I can work on that and hopefully come back and be even better.”

A big part of this was his newfound spot on the top power-play unit – Lafrenière finished the season with nine power-play goals, two more than he had in his first five NHL seasons combined.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“As a player, you always want the most ice time you can get, and being on the power play with these guys was good,” he said. “I think we had a good chemistry going.”

Lafrenière had 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games during calendar year 2026. That’s a pace of 33 goals, 43 assists, and 76 points over a full season — the kind of production teams expect from a player entering the second season of a seven-year contract that carries an average annual value of $7.45 million through 2031-32.

The Rangers need him to produce at his late-season 2025-26 rate for a whole season.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Lafreniere was part of the Rangers teams that reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024 before the disappointments of the past two seasons, so he knows what success and failure looks like at the NHL level. He said he’s confident that the Blueshirts can get back to the postseason in 2026-27.

“We have a really good mix,” he said. “The young guys came in and did a really good job – they were unbelievable for us. Hopefully we can bring that back next year, have a better year and make the playoffs.

“We have a long summer, so we have a lot of time to work on our games. I feel for me, it’s just consistency. I think that’s the biggest part. That’s what I really want to improve in my game. If I can be consistent, I can help the team win more.”

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