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Monday's 5-0 loss to New Jersey was the seventh time in his past eight appearances that Lafreniere had been held off the scoresheet.

Lafreniere got off to a strong start to the campaign, contributing eight goals and 16 points across his first 19 outings, but he's managed just a goal and five points over his past 15 appearances. He's far from the only struggling member of the Rangers -- New York is 4-13-0 overs its past 17 games -- but Lafreniere still has something to prove. The 23-year-old finished with under 40 points in each of his first three campaigns, but he gave the world a glimpse of why he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft when he provided 28 goals and 57 points across 82 regular-season games in 2023-24. That jump in production led to him inking a seven-year, $52.15 million contract that doesn't begin until 2025-26. If he fails to build off his success from last season, then that deal will end up looking like an overpayment.

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