I want to make certain to remind you before on-ice sessions commence on Thursday that the two most disappointing players in last year’s Rangers training camp were Alexis Lafreniere and Jonathan Quick.
How did that play out over the course of the season?
The lesson, of course, is not to overreact to a bad September and certainly not to do so with veterans who are often working at their own respective paces with particular agendas. Not with goalies, either, and especially those who are on their way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
There is a corollary to these words of warning, and that is not to overreact to a strong performance by a veteran who is working under a professional tryout agreement. Training camp and the exhibition season are their playoffs. They’re playing at a different speed with a unique commitment.