Alexis Lafreniere has the star power that Ottawa Senators need

The Ottawa Senators enter a crucial rebuild that not only needs to improve results on the ice but also reinvigorate and instil trust back their fanbase.

The start to the Ottawa Senators rebuild has been positive, seeing the team acquire assets that can help them build a strong core of young players over the next two-to-three seasons.

Across the 2020 and 2021 NHL Drafts, the Senators have a stunning nine picks in the first two rounds – picks that could add real talent to the roster and give the team an even stronger base to build from.

With the Canadian capital team expected to bottom out this season, barring some sort of miracle, they have a real opportunity at landing the first overall pick, and with that one of the best talents in recent years.

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Alexis Lafreniere is currently the consensus top prospect in the 2020 Draft after flourishing in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic over the past two seasons.

The 17-year-old left-winger has an impressive 79 goals and 185 total points in just 121 regular-season games in The Q, with a further 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 20 playoff games.

This scoring record has impressed across North America, making Lafreniere’s name known across the hockey world as a legitimate elite prospect that can help change the fortunes of an ailing franchise.

Lafreniere most recently captained Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, giving teams another look at why he is considered the top player in next year’s draft class.

In just five games, Lafreniere had five goals and 11 total points – tying recent Vancouver Canucks first-round pick Vasily Podkolzin as the tournament’s top points scorer.

His vision, passing ability, goalscoring and willingness to backcheck and steal the puck are tools that have the young French-Canadian forward ready to jump up into the NHL immediately after being drafted.

The talented winger is a big name prospect and projects to be a legitimately top tier player in the NHL, standing at 6-foot-1 and 192lbs already ahead of his draft year.

The Ottawa Senators have had a number of memorable players in their short history, with the likes of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Erik Karlsson just some of the names synonymous with hockey in the capital.

For the Senators organisation, building a strong team will help improve results on the ice, but there is still a need for some star power and big names that fans can recognise and connect with.

They have a couple of guys that can be that in Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot, but adding a player of Lafreniere’s talent and value off the ice would do the Senators organisation the world of good.

There is still a full NHL season to play through before the 2020 Draft, but if the Ottawa Senators are able to land the exciting Saint-Eustache, Quebec native then they will truly have their big-name franchise player that they truly need.

What do you think Sens fans? Would you be pleased to see the team land Lafreniere next year? What are your thoughts on the other prospects such as Byfield and Raymond? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!