I dare say that no player had ever done so little to earn the Broadway Hat as Alexis Lafreniere did on Sunday since the concept of awarding it to the Rangers’ best player in a victory was inaugurated by Brad Richards at the start of the 2013-14 season.

The symbolism, though, was overpowering when the bauble was given to the 21-year-old in his first game back in the lineup following his healthy scratch in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

It did not matter to Ben Harpur — who’d been in possession of the hat since winning it for his work in the 5-3 victory over the Islanders on Dec. 22 — that Lafreniere hadn’t picked up a point in 11:48 of ice time while getting one of two attempts on net and going minus-one for this 5-3 victory.

But this welcome back — “Great to be back,” Lafreniere said upon taking the chapeau — signified the respect, regard and affection his teammates have for the winger, who had a challenging time of living up to expectations attached to his first-overall selection in the 2020 entry draft.