Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield finally living up to high expectations

Credit: Alexis Lafreniere (Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports)/Quinton Byfield (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Until now, Ottawa Senators fans have laughed their way to the bank. Bar none, they got the best player in the 2020 NHL Draft. It’s undisputed.

Nobody from that draft class is in spitting distance of Tim Stutzle’s 194 points in 223 games. There’s an argument to be made that Ottawa drafted the second-best player from the draft class in Jake Sanderson, too.

The top two picks – New York’s Alexis Lafreniere and Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield – got off to slow starts in their first three years. Many wondered if they’d amount to anything more than support players or if trades were needed to get them jumpstarted.

Fortunately, neither team caved. And they’re reaping the benefits.

There’s nothing like a struggling first overall pick. Lafreniere knows all about the pressure when the spotlight fades and leaves you in the dark. The Quebec native didn’t look comfortable in the first three years of his NHL career, struggling to maintain consistency. But so far this year, he has registered seven goals and 11 points in his first 14 games, putting him on a 41-goal, 64-point pace. He’s coming off a career-best season of 39 points last year, but that’s still a far cry from early expectations.

As for Byfield, the 6-foot-5 power forward has 13 points in 14 games, including nine assists in his last six games. It won’t be long until he tops his 22-point output in 55 games last year. He still saw some AHL time last year, but those days of toiling around with the Ontario Reign are well past now.

The 2020 NHL Draft class had the unfortunate distinction of being the first to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. In Lafreniere’s case, he went eight months between competitive games, with his first of any form after getting drafted coming on opening night of the 2020-21 NHL season. No preseason games, no rookie tournament, nothing. Byfield at least got to join Canada for their silver medal run at the world juniors before heading to training camp, with many at the time wondering why the Rangers weren’t willing to do the same.

The lack of game time wasn’t exclusive to either prospect, though. Stutzle had just as long of a time off and still managed to outscore both of them. Lafreniere’s 21-point rookie season – when adjusted to a full 82-game schedule – was still around the 40-point mark. Nothing special, but still decent enough compared to what we’ve seen the past few years.

Byfield, meanwhile, spent most of the year in the AHL, where he seemed to excel with Ontario. And that was only made possible due to CHL shutdowns allowing previously ineligible players to jump up to the AHL early, avoiding the NHL-CHL agreement altogether.

Both seemingly had to play catch-up to get to this point. But what changed? To keep it simple: confidence.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette really seems to believe in Lafreniere, throwing him on the top line from the get-go and keeping him in the top ever since. The kid line – Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil – was fun, but Lafreniere needed the boost that playing alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck brings. At the very least, he looks as confident as ever, not getting mad about a missed play and hustling harder than we’ve ever seen in his career.

Just anecdotally, Lafreniere looks like a young player with something to prove. He’s more engaged around the net, and the stats seem to prove it. Evolving-Hockey has Lafreniere at a 29.2 shooting percentage, far above his previous best of 17.9 in his rookie season. One interesting note: Lafreniere’s assists-per-60 has fallen from 0.94 last year to 0.9, but he’s producing primary assists at a rate of 0.6-per-60. His total points-per-60 has seen a nice increase from 1.61 to 2.41, too. If you prefer plain English terms: Lafreniere is playing the most effective hockey of his career. Simple as that.

Byfield’s situation is similar. Of the 247 forwards with at least 150 minutes of 5-on-5 time this year, Byfield’s 60.76 Corsi-for percentage is good for 14th in the NHL, and first on Los Angeles, according to Natural Stat Trick. Look one spot up, and you’ll find Lafreniere.

Style-wise, Byfield is a 6-foot-5 power forward with good mobility and hockey IQ. While Byfield was a prolific scorer at the U-16 level, he has established himself more as a playmaker in the NHL. He’s finally using the entirety of his skillset to generate chances in the offensive zone.

And man, Byfield can skate. According to NHL Edge data, Byfield is in the 98th percentile with a top speed of 23.15 – just under two MPH quicker than the league average. He’s among the league leaders in bursts at various speeds, too.

Statistically, Lafreniere has been the better player this year, no question. He’s a key player on a contending team, and at this rate, he’s well on his way to smashing his career-best in essentially every category. Lafreniere didn’t have the luxury of going back to junior or playing heavy minutes in the AHL, for better or for worse. He was thrown into the fire, and it just took some time for the extinguisher to warm up. Byfield’s route was a bit more indirect, but he’s here to stay.

NHL redrafts might not look kind for Lafreniere or Byfield for now, but they’re coming. Neither are on the level of Stutzle right now, who looks capable of being a 100-point producer for the Senators. Stutzle was also given a bigger role immediately, too. But they’re making an impact. And they’re both so young – Lafreniere is 22, while Byfield is 21. They’re just getting started.

It took a while, but it’s breakout season, baby.

Discover Betano.ca – a premium Sports Betting and Online Casino experience. Offering numerous unique and dynamic betting options along with diverse digital and live casino games, Betano is where The Game Starts Now. 19+. Please play responsibly.

Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield finally living up to high expectations

Recently by Steven Ellis