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Entering his second season, Alexis Lafreniere confident in his role with Rangers

When Alexis Lafreniere did his first media availability this training camp, it was the first time the second-year Rangers forward had seen the (masked) faces of the local reporters who cover the team day-to-day. But the 19-year-old French-Canadian, the No. 1 pick overall in the 2020 draft, seemed perfectly comfortable interacting with the New York media.

Why should an in-person news conference faze him in any way, after all? Nothing else does.

"I didn't know him until three weeks ago, [but] what I see, I like,’’ Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said following Tuesday’s practice at Boss Arena on the campus of the University of Rhode Island.