SUNRISE, Fla. — The Rangers’ pair of top-two overall picks have been joined at the hip pretty much since the ping pong balls rose from the machine to give Jeff Gorton the rights to select Alexis Lafreniere with the No. 1 overall selection in 2020.

Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko underwent the same initial struggles upon reaching the NHL and dealt with the same lack of opportunity in the top six. They were together on the Kid Line two years ago, central to the Rangers’ run to the conference final. Kakko finished with 40 points last season, Lafreniere with 39.

Kakko, a year older, had an extra year of experience and maybe a little less expectation on account of being drafted second overall as opposed to first and because being a French-Canadian center of attention is a unique thing in the NHL. But the narrative around the two players was, for all intents and purposes, pretty similar coming into this season.

It doesn’t feel that way anymore now, does it?