The New York Rangers have finalized a seven-year contract extension for winger Alexis Lafrenière, which was announced on Friday.
This agreement amounts to $52.15 million, as disclosed by a source familiar with the terms, who chose to remain anonymous since specifics of the contract were not officially revealed.
Under this new deal, Lafrenière will have an annual salary cap hit of $7.45 million, applicable from the start of the next NHL season through the year 2032.
Lafrenière, who was selected first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, has shown significant improvement, achieving career-best statistics last season with 28 goals, 29 assists, and a total of 57 points.
Currently, at the age of 23, he is maintaining a strong performance in the ongoing season, recording seven points in just seven games.
Over the course of his career, Lafrenière has accumulated 178 points through a combination of regular season and playoff appearances, contributing to a Rangers team that has reached the Eastern Conference finals twice since his arrival in the league.
In terms of his contract comparison, Lafrenière’s salary cap hit closely aligns with that of Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky, the second overall pick in 2022, who is under a $7.6 million yearly agreement.
Other notable players include New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, the top pick in 2019, who earns $8 million annually through to 2030, and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin, selected first in 2021, whose contract totals $11 million per year until 2032.
Looking ahead, despite Lafrenière’s successful extension, the Rangers still have an urgent contract situation with goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Should Shesterkin not secure a new deal, he could enter the unrestricted free agent market on July 1.
It is anticipated that Shesterkin may seek a contract that could potentially exceed Carey Price’s record eight-year, $84 million deal signed in 2017, which would make it the most lucrative goalie contract in the salary cap era.
Recently, both Dallas and Boston have locked in their netminders, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman, respectively, to matching contracts worth $66 million over eight years.
Additionally, on Thursday night, the Rangers reassigned forward Matt Rempe to their AHL affiliate in Hartford.
Rempe participated in only a little over 11 minutes of game time over two outings and did not play in other contests due to being a healthy scratch.