Rangers close to 7 year Alexis Lafreniere extension

Per PuckPedia, the Rangers are close to a 7 year Alexis Lafreniere extension, with an annual cap hit of $7.45 million. The extension would kick in next year, buying out 2 RFA years and 5 UFA years and lock up Lafreniere as the Rangers 1RW through his age-30 season. Assuming a $92 million cap ceiling next season, the Lafreniere extension would start at 8% of the cap.

When the deal kicks in, Lafreniere would be the third highest paid forward (Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad) and the 5th highest paid player (Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba) on the roster. That will likely get to 4th highest paid player once the Trouba situation is resolved.

The initial reaction to the Lafreniere extension is positive, as it’s a much lower cap hit than many expected, leaving wiggle room for other contracts. For Lafreniere, he gets a guaranteed $52.15 million over the life of the deal and enough time in his career for another big contract.