MAJOR | Former first overall to get an offer sheet from surprising Western Conference team

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Felip Gosselin
August 1, 2023 (4:10 PM)

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The New York ended up having the lucky when they won the 2020 Draft Lottery. Coming out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was the outstanding Power Forward Alexis Lafreniere who had not only dominated the junior level, but also the World Junior where he lit everything up.

Since making his way to the NHL, not everything has gone according to plan. The winger has yet to reach the full extent of his game and he's now coming to the end of his entry-level-contract making him an unsigned restricted free agent.

Tight Salary Cap: Perfect Target for an Offer Sheet

The Rangers are now caught in a shamble since they're tight on money and even though Lafreniere isn't getting a hefty raise is still needs a contract at the very least. The Blue Shirts room for manoeuvre is just a little over $2M for next season, meaning teams with cap space and draft picks could put an offer sheet on the table much like the Hurricanes did when they stole Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens.

https://www.hockeypatrol.com/Surprising-Team-To-Offer-Sheet-Alexis-Lafreniere-261667#google_vignette

Max Miller, from the Hockey News, wrote an extremely interesting piece linking the San Jose Sharks to the former first overall.

San Jose Sharks aiming big

In the early stages of a rebuild, the Sharks could be an interesting destination for Lafreniere. Not only do they have the needed cap space, they also have the draft capital to give away.

Lafreniere could be getting a fresh start in a market where the pressure isn't at the highest, but also where he wouldn't be playing behind established superstars like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad or Chris Kreider. The winger is coming off a career high 39 points in 81 games. It's no where near the dominant production he was expected to provided after his draft eligible year in Junior where he collected 112 points in 52 games.

Lafreniere sure looks like a player who would benefit from a change of scenery, if the Canucks somehow found a way to make room under the cap, should they be interested in offersheeting him? Is he the kind of player you move money and roster players to acquire?