Currently on a career best equaling four game point streak – with four assists – Alexis Lafreniere today practiced on a line with Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow, or as it’s more commonly known, the third line.

It’s not a configuration that has beenused really this year, and like many of the third lines used this season, feels very much like a cobbled together, see whether it works kind of solution.  Gerard Gallant said as much, when he told reporters today that he expects to try a few different combinations over the coming games, as he looks to incorporate three new forwards, as well as the expected returns in a couple of weeks of Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney.

Speaking of Gallant, it’s not clear that Lafreniere has ever really earned his trust.   Initially they gave Lafreniere a run on that top line in camp, but it was clear even then that the Head Coach didn’t really like it, quickly pivoting to other options, before initially playing Lafreniere on the the third line to start the season.

The Rangers Head Coach has proven to be very adept at saying nothing in public, but his actions have belied his true beliefs, with Lafreniere being perhapps the least trusted amongst the top 9, even spending a couple of games on the fourth line, as we saw again in the third period during the one-sided loss to the Devils.

Part of that trust is likely the play of the young winger in his own zone and away from the puck.  Like Kaapo Kakko before him, the defensive side of the game can take a while for a player to understand, and Lafreniere is clearly not all the way there yet.  Perhaps too there’s other things that we don’t see that are part of the evaluation, but either way it seems clear that Lafreniere is on a pretty short leash.

So what are we looking at for Friday.  Well one option would be to continue the experiment with Andrew Copp alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.  Copp saw some spot shifting – including taking the faceoff that lead to Adam Fox‘s goal – when he played with the top pair, but shifted there full time in the third.  The results didn’t really change, though Copp did pick up another assist when he got first unit PP time with Artemi Panarin off the ice following a collision with Sharangovich.

Like Lafreniere, Copp was playing his off-wing, and though he has a bit more proven versatility, including being comfortable at center, he hasn’t played as much on the right wing.

Another alternative is to put Frank Vatrano up on the top line.  Vatrano too is a left winger, though he’s been used solely as a right wing in the four games he’s had on the top line.  If the practice lines today are anything to go by, then it looks like he’ll get the first opportunity to play that spot, with the hope that he can perhaps bring his shoot first mentality to that line.

How long he stays there, will likely be determined by how successful they are as a trio, and how the team is playing overall.  As we’ve seen in the past, Gallant is not averse to mixing it up when the team is struggling offensively, or even defensively….at least when it comes ot the forwards.

Which brings us back to the third line.  Putting Lafreniere back on the third line has both advantages and disadvantages.  On the plus side, he is shifting back to his natural left wing, and will likely play against lower quality defenders, particularly given the number of home games the Rangers have across the remainder of the season.

Conversely, he’ll be playing with Chytil and Goodrow, who have a combined 37 points at even strength, compared to the 65 that Kreider and Zibanejad have accumulated.  It’s also worth noting, that a number of Goodrow’s points have come whilst playing with the top two lines, which undoubtedly have inflated his numbers this year.  We’ve already seen the effect it’s had on Chytil this year, who has seldom had consistent line mates this year, or has been forced to play with the likes of Dryden Hunt and Julien Gauthier, who have generally not driven the offense.

Over and above that, it’s not clear what the third line’s identity is.  Chytil is clearly a better skater than the other two, Lafreniere is probably the best shot, and Goodrow is probably the better defensively, although he’s not as great as solid as perhaps he is sometimes represented.  None of the three are necessarily good decision makers at this point, and collectively are probably a defensive liabiity.

It probably makes more sense to move Vatrano back to the third line, or perhaps Hunt, who brings a bit more puck pursuit than either of the three.  Perhaps we’ll see those changes before too long.  In the mean time, if the third line starts to get sat, or the points dry up, you run the risk of stunting Lafreniere’s growth further and perhaps missing an opportuntiy to build an ultimate replacement to Chris Kreider when time starts to catch up with him.

Then again, the NHL isn’t a development league, and Gerard Gallant is paid to win now…not to plan for what happens next year or beyond.