Alexis Lafrenière's name is back in New York Rangers trade chatter, and Tuesday's warning from David Pagnotta came with a very specific condition.
If the first quarter of the season goes sideways, Pagnotta says big names start entering conversations around the league.
And he didn't stop at one. Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin landed on that same list.
Think about what that means in dollars. Shesterkin carries an $11,567,857 cap hit, and Fox sits at $9,500,000.
Put Lafrenière's $7.45 million beside those two and Chris Drury is staring at an expensive core that has to win early.
Monday night, the Rangers dropped a 3-2 preseason decision in New Jersey. The former first overall pick did not dress.
This rumor has legs because it's been building for weeks. Earlier in September, Pagnotta said the winger's name had been "bandied about."
Chris Drury holds a $52.15 million chip he may not want to cash
Lafrenière is entering year two of a seven-year, $52.15 million deal.
That's the kind of term rebuilding clubs and contenders both chase. The cap hit stays frozen through 2031-32 while the ceiling keeps climbing.
The production gives buyers a reason to call. He scored 24 goals and 57 points last season.
The dip is already in the rearview mirror. He fell to 45 points in 2024-25, then climbed right back to match his career high.
The finish was loud, too. After the Olympic break, Lafrenière piled up 25 points in 25 games, which put him on Daily Faceoff's trade board before the draft.
So why would New York even entertain it? The Rangers project just $1,277,976 in cap space.
Camp tells a different story. Mike Sullivan has him skating with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault, plus reps on the top power-play unit.
Moving a young winger on locked-in money right now would be like selling your house the week after you finish renovating the kitchen.
It would be a bad trade, plain and simple, unless Drury gets a real NHL piece back. Picks alone won't cut it.
The underlying numbers back that up. PuckPedia lists him with a 53.0 percent expected-goals share at five-on-five.
He turns 25 in October, right as the stretch Pagnotta flagged begins. The Rangers open against Boston on September 29.
Every loss in that first quarter is going to get read two ways around the league. Only one of them ends with Lafrenière still wearing a Rangers sweater.
Should Chris Drury trade Alexis Lafrenière if the Rangers stumble through the first quarter?
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