Alexis Lafreniere is heading to the New York Rangers

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Monday night the NHL held the Phase 2 draft lottery and handed out this year’s 1st overall pick.

Much like the Phase 1 lotto, things realistically couldn’t have ended worse for the New Jersey Devils.

They didn’t win a top-3 pick in Phase 1, which was a tough pill to swallow but not the end of the world.

What made matters worse was the fact the Devils were leaped by a team beneath them, thus moving them down to the 7th spot.

One spot is one spot but it may just be the difference in missing out on a player like Marco Rossi; or perhaps the luxury of landing the defenseman of their choice.

Dropping a spot became especially bitter on Monday night when we found out the team that will be leaping the Devils is their biggest rival, the New York Rangers.

The Rangers’ roster is far from flawless, however, they do have plenty of things going for them.

They equaled, or bested, the Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal Canadiens – all still playing – in points percentage during the regular season.

They possess an impressive core of players mixed with star veterans (Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Henrik Lundqvist) and high-ceiling youngsters (Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin).

Now they get to add Alexis Lafreniere to the mix.

As much as you want to believe he’ll disappoint in New York, I don’t think it’ll happen.

Lafreniere has rightfully been regarded as the clear prize of this draft class for years. I mean, he put up 80 points in 60 QMJHL games during his rookie campaign in 2017-18. Those numbers are better than what you’ll see from several 1st rounders this year.

Lafreniere is the full package. He has a heavy shot. He gets to the net. He’s a high-end playmaker. He is smart. He’ll throw his body around. And he’s ultra competitive. He’s not an elite skater but there aren’t many (any?) real holes in his game.

I don’t think he’s in the same tier of 1st overall picks as Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews. But he is, or will be, a consistent all-star.

His playing style, and statistical profile, reminds me a lot of former QMJHL superstar Jonathan Huberdeau – but with a little more bite.

Before you get all excited about the Rangers ‘only’ landing a Huberdeau-type player, please remember this is a guy who has averaged 92 points per 82 games over the last two seasons while driving play at an elite rate. He’s a top-end player and would be recognized accordingly if he played in a different market.

I honestly see that kind of potential in Lafreniere. Even if he doesn’t reach those heights, I think he’s a very good bet to still fall in the 70-80 point ranger on a yearly basis. That’s extremely valuable.

The Rangers are getting a hell of a prospect, and they’re knocking the Devils down a peg in the process. That stings.

numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and HockeyDB.com