Gabe Perreault earns strong praise from Mike Sullivan as Rangers weigh next step

The New York Rangers blew a 4-1 lead and fell 5-4 to the Boston Bruins at Madison Square during the team's second game of the preseason. It is still very early, and there's still four games and countless practices to go, but the Rangers' brain trust could be forced with some tough decisions when finalizing an opening night roster.

For second consecutive game top prospect Gabe Perreault found the back of the net, and he ended the game with 17:43 of ice time and four shots on goal.

You don't want to get out over your skis this early in the process, but it's hard to ignore what's being said about Perreault, and start to think about what his immediate future will look like, and if the team is leaning one way or another.

"I think it's important that he gets minutes"

New bench boss Mike Sullivan was asked about Perreault, and he had a ringing endorsement for the youngster that also leaves the door open for him to be eventually assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Via Mollie Walker of the New York Post:
#NYR coach Mike Sullivan says Gabe Perreault "has NHL talent" and is "an NHL player in the making."

On whether he thinks No. 94 has to play in top 6 or if he's comfortable with him in a 3/4 line role: "I don't think he needs to be a top six player. I think it's important that he gets minutes and that he plays because it's probably in the best interest of his overall development, which would in turn be the best interest of the New York Rangers. Whether that takes place in New York or in Hartford is yet to be determined. We're really encouraged by his game. He seems to get better with each game that he plays."

Thus far Perreault has been one of the Rangers' best players, and I think there's two reasons for that. Perreault is in game shape because he was in rookie camp and played in two games against the Philadelphia Flyers' prospects before joining the varsity squad for main camp. He's also played against some players who will be in the AHL or lower to start this season in the two preseason games he's appeared in. This isn't to take anything away from Perreault, but there would be more room for even greater optimism if he was playing like this against a full NHL roster.

Too early to call where Perreault ends up

It is reasonable to think he will appear in the four remaining games, as the team wants as much information on him to make the proper decision on where he should start. Sullivan making the distinction that he thinks it's important for Perreault to get minutes would suggest Hartford, because there he'd be on the top line without question. But there's also a chance he could find himself on the second line if his play warrants it. It is clearly too early to make that call.

If you are interested in a detailed look on the merits of starting Perreault in the AHL, you can check this story from earlier in the month.

I will cite one small section here, because I think it's the most important part of the whole discussion.

Once the preseason starts we'll have a better idea of how close Perreault is to being an NHL mainstay. It will be a small sample of six games, but we will know pretty quickly if Perreault is at a point where he's so good that starting in the NHL looks like a possibility.

He could be an ultimate X factor this season, and it's very important for the Rangers to bring him along at the proper speed so that he has the chance to do so.

Perreault might be ready for an NHL job. If he keeps on scoring it will be hard to send him down. But even if that happens, you could still make an argument for sending him to Hartford. Development takes time, and the Rangers want to get it right with Perreault and learn from past mistakes of asking too much, too soon from top prospects. The Rangers' management team led by Chris Drury certainly will prioritize on building the best roster, but that doesn't mean it will be a roster for the start of the season. The decisions they make could be making sure the team has the best possible roster once meaningful games start toward the end of the season and into potential playoffs. So far, so good for Perreault. But where he factors in to that equation? Your guess is as good as mine.