New York Rangers coach has had enough and is punishing Alexis Lafreniere
The New York Rangers were brutal in front of their home crowd on Tuesday night, falling 4-0 to the Washington Capitals. Head Coach Gerard Gallant was less than pleased with how his team played on their return from Christmas break.
"A lot of guys didn't show up to play hard... «We were garbage tonight,» Gallant said, «We didn't deserve to winI didn't know what to do. I scrambled the lines again. Really disappointed in the group tonight.»
Some fans will be quick to blame NHL officiating but Gallant and captain Jacob Trouba don't want to hear it.
«It is what it is, it's out of your control,» Trouba said, «Calls go both ways. I think that's an easy cop out to blame someone else for something. We know we didn't play a good game here today.»
There was one player in particular that Gallant had seen enough from and that is Alexis Lafreniere. The 1st overall pick has had opportunities on all lines, but continues to disappoint. So much so that Gallant has opted to punish the former top pick.
Yesterday at practice Lafreniere was rotated in and out of drills on the 4th line. But that message wasn't enough for Gallant who elected to healthy scratch Lafreniere for today's game.
This is a definite message to Lafreniere especially after the Rangers have given him every chance to succeed this season. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Rangers move on from Lafreniere if they're looking to make a splash at the trade deadline.
| POLL |
Where will the New York Rangers finish this season? |
| Top 3 in the Metro | 23 | 20 % |
| In a Wild Card Spot | 54 | 47 % |
| Just missing the playoffs | 38 | 33 % |
| List of polls |
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