Lafreniere carried all the hype when he was drafted first overall by the New York Rangers in 2020. After a stellar performance with team Canada in the 2020 World Junior Championships, it was expected that Lafreniere would make an instant impact with the Rangers.
However, after 3 seasons with the club, this hasn't exactly been the case. Lafreniere has managed to put up a total of 91 points in 216 career games with the Rangers. While this isn't necessarily a flop, it's not likely the impact that the Rangers were expecting from the star forward.
A trade like this could provide significant upside for Montreal, getting a potential star ready to be moulded into to the Canadiens' systems. In addition, they would add some depth to their bottom six in Barclay Goodrow, a reliable player who has put up double-digit goals and over 30 points in his past 2 seasons.
The Rangers would also benefit significantly by adding Josh Anderson to their roster. Anderson is an established impact player, who could provide the juice to get the Rangers over the edge in a future cup run.
