The New York Rangers signed winger Alexis Lafrenière to a seven-year contract extension Friday. The deal is worth $52.15 million, according to a person with knowledge of the contract.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms were not disclosed. Lafrenière will count $7.45 million against the salary cap annually from when the new contract kicks in next NHL season through 2032.
The No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft set career highs with 28 goals, 29 assists and 57 points last season. Lafrenière, 23, is off to a point-a-game start to this one, as well, with seven in seven.
He has 178 points in 348 regular-season and playoff games for a team that has made two trips to the Eastern Conference final since he made his debut. Lafrenière’s cap hit is just below the $7.6 million Montreal annually committed to 2022 top pick Juraj Slafkovsky .
New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, No. 1 in 2019, is making $8 million a year through 2030 and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin, who was atop the draft in ’21, $11 million through 2032 . While Lafrenière would have been a restricted free agent this summer, the Rangers still have a major re-signing to take care of.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin is a pending unrestricted free agent who, without a new contract, could hit the open market July 1. Shesterkin could sign the most lucrative contract of a goalie in the two decades of the salary cap era, surpassing the eight years and $84 million Carey Price got from the Canadie.
