The Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have reached an agreement on a contract extension, New York announced on Friday evening. The deal is for seven years and is worth $52.15 million, according to an earlier report Friday from USA Today’s Vince Mercogliano.
Earlier this month it was reported that the Blueshirts were in the process of negotiating a huge deal with the former No. 1 overall draft pick and now the deal appears to be done.
While the AAV is reported to be $7.45 million, Lafreniere will have a base salary of $2 million this year with an $8 million signing bonus. In year 2, he will reportedly have a base salary of $5.5 million and a signing bonus of $2 million, followed by a base salary of $8.5 million and a signing bonus of $1 million in year 3. After that, Lafreniere will reportedly make $7.15 million earn in year 4 and $6 million in years 5-7.
The deal includes two years of restricted free agency and five years of unrestricted free agency, which will make him 30 years old when the deal expires. Years 3 through 7 also include a no-trade clause for eight teams.
Still, Lafreniere, just 23 years old, believes he will be a big part of the Rangers’ future after they selected him with the top pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Since then, the 6-foot-4, 196-pounder has played out St-Eustache, Quebec, had a huge impact on New York.
In 305 games, Lafreniere has 79 goals and 76 assists (155 points). Last season, the left winger had career highs in games played (82), goals (28) and assists (29). In seven games so far this season, he has four goals and three assists, putting him on pace for another career year.
Securing Lafreniere to a long-term contract extension is crucial for Rangers, who failed to sign the goaltender Igor Shesterkin off-season, despite their best efforts.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Shesterkin turned down an eight-year deal worth $88 million that would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. Instead, the 28-year-old will complete the final year of his four-year contract and hope to earn even more money next season.
