"Ridiculous," "In a heartbeat": Rangers fans fractured over Alexis Lafreniere-Trevor Zegras trade suggestion floated by seasoned columnist

Alexis Lafreniere was touted to be the next big thing for New York Rangers hockey. But in his fifth season in the NHL, he hasn't performed up to the standards he set for himself when he was selected as the No.1 draft pick by the team in 2020.

Lafreniere struggled in the first few years before finally finding some footing last season when he scored 57 points in 82 games. He was signed to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract by the team last summer. But he has not shown any signs of living up to his $7.45 million annual average value, scoring just 32 points in 55 games with a -13 rating.

As per New York Post's Larry Brooks, the team could do well by getting a like-for-like replacement with Anaheim Ducks' Trevor Zegras. The Ducks forward was supposed to be their new leader going forward but has also struggled with returns of 169 points in 243 NHL games so far.

"This would be the 2020 No. 1 overall for the 2019 No. 9 overall," he wrote. "This would be trading one 23-year-old forward who has not come close to satisfying expectations for another 23-year-old forward who has not come close to satisfying expectations," Brooks wrote.

Fans took to social media to give their views with the entire Rangers fanbase divided over Brooks' column.

"In a heartbeat. Lafreniere's skating holds him back. I give him credit coming into last season for working hard on increasing leg strength but it seems as if he didn't do so this year because he is noticeably slow...," a fan wrote.

"Do it! Now before it’s too late. Zein needs development but Laf is a bust!" Another fan said.

"The saddest part is that this is even a thought. Lafreniere has truly been an absolute disappointment this season," a fan gave their two cents.

Other fans were, however, skeptical about trading away a former No.1 draft pick. They stated that the return on investment for Alexis Lafrenière needs to be greater.

"Ridiculous. Trading Lafreniere isn’t ridiculous, but doing so to acquire a player who is not a Brady Tkachuk type is a lateral move or step back," another fan said.

"You must be running out of trade scenarios 😂 How about Fox and Kreider for Mcavoy?" Another fan said.

"Larry we love you but this one is off the rails," a fan gave his opinion.

New York to earn a lot of return from Ryan Lindgren trade

Alongside a trade idea for Alexis Lafreniere, NHL insiders have also speculated that D-man Ryan Lindgren might be on the trade block. He is currently playing out his one-year, $4.5 million contract. Peter Baugh and Arthur Staple of The Athletic wrote:

"Lindgren is still an attractive player to a lot of teams who could do with a blood-and-guts type player in the middle of their defense corps for a playoff run. And plugging Lindgren into a Cup-contending group would likely mean fewer minutes than he’s been logging as a Ranger, where the team’s spotty defending has exposed him a bit this season."

Lindgren has been a pairing alongside Adam Fox. If he moves away from the Rangers, then they will have to find a replacement in the blueline.