Alexis Lafreniere breaks the bank with extension in New York!

The New York Rangers may be busy navigating contract negotiations with superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin, they apparently also have time for forward Alexis Lafreniere as talks are reportedly heating up in NYC.

Lafreniere is in the final year of a two-year, $4.65 million bridge contract and is eligible to become a restricted free agent next July.

At the current $88 million salary cap figure, the Rangers have just over $28.937 million in space for the 2025-26 season without Shesterkin, Lafreniere and pending restricted free agent K’Andre Miller, who is in the last year of a two-year, $7.744 million deal.

On Friday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that the Rangers and Lafreniere were closing in on an extension. Moments later, it was team insider Larry Brooks of the New York Post who reported that Lafreniere’s extension will be a seven year deal coming in at under $7.6M per.

Reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano later confirmed, via Puck Pedia, that the deal was official : a seven-year, $52.15 million extension with an AAV at $7.45M.

Earlier this month, insider Frank Seravalli had reported that the young forward was seeking an eight-year, $64 million deal as he and the Rangers had been working on a contract going back to summer.

Lafreniere has gotten back on track in the past season and keeps going this year with four goals and seven points in seven games, after failing to meet expectations after being selected first overall back in 2020. At 22, he is just scratching the surface and has a lot to offer, and clearly the Rangers are also offering him a lot of money.