Chris Drury downplays Alexis Lafreniere from retooling letter

The The New York Rangers will be a top team to watch ahead of the March 6 NHL trade deadline after general manager Chris Drury practically waved the white flag on the 2025-26 season. in the form of a retool letter to fans.

Regardless of how the news is received, the winds of change are blowing through the Big Apple — and former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafrenier can be a victim.

The 24-year-old told The Athletic’s Peter Baugh earlier this week that he has not spoken to Drury about his future in New York since the letter.

“Of course. I’m here and I’ll do my best. I think we have a good group,” Lafreniere said when asked if he wanted to stay with the franchise in the future.

The left winger added: “It’s always a bummer to lose guys, teammates, friends, but that’s the job. We’ll see what happens. All we can do is play hockey and try to win.”

Rangers mired in the worst setback of the season

The The Rangers haven’t been winning much lately; in fact, they are mired in their worst stretch of the 2025-26 campaign. New York has lost 10 of 12 games dating back to Dec. 27, in the process falling to last place in the Metropolitan Division.

As of Thursday, they were a full 10 points out of the final wild card in the Eastern Conference, and at this point, it looks like the front office would prefer a high pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to a second-half boost.

A move away from Lafreniere would be a significant blow. Although he has struggled to live up to his No. 1 overall pick — as well as the seven-year, $52.15 million extension he signed at the end of 2024 — trading him would signal another top-10 draft pick would be delivered.

“Trading Lafreniere would mean the organization concedes defeat on another top-10 pick,” Baugh wrote Thursday. “The team has already traded Kaapo Kakko (No. 2 in 2019), Vitaly Kravtsov (No. 9 in 2018) and Lias Andersson (No. 7 in 2017), and neither Kravtsov nor Andersson are still in the NHL.

Lafreniere was excellent in a 5-1 victory over the defending champion Florida Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami. But since then, he’s scored just five points in eight games with a minus-7 rating.

As part of his hefty contract, Lafreniere has no trade protection until the summer of 2027, when the eight-team no-trade list goes into effect, according to Baugh. It is unknown if the Quebec native would be willing to waive his no-trade clause before the trade deadline.

If the Rangers end up moving on from a player who was once expected to be a cornerstone of the franchise, the ultimate goal would be for Drury and the front office to bring back young talent.

That being said, Lafreniere’s trade value is probably as low as it’s ever been. It will be intriguing to see if he stays in New York for what will surely be dark days.