The New York Rangers have finally accepted reality. The playoffs are simply unattainable and fans could sense it. General mManager Chris Drury sent out a letter to frustrated fans calling for his job at games, and announced that they would begin a "retool" of the roster. Even though Drury said it wasn't a rebuild, it is a rebuild.
The Rangers are going to explore trades for certain players, most notably Artemi Panarin. The Rangers and Drury are looking to bring in more young players and draft picks to help them build a more sustainable roster that could hopefully lead them to Stanley Cup contention down the line. But one thing the Rangers should want to do is to give their younger players more reps.
Gabe Perreault is showing just that.
After the Rangers' 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, team captain J.T. Miller heaped huge praise onto Perreault, saying that while he didn't record a point in the game, he did show a lot on the rink.
"Gabe had a hell of a game today. I think maybe did a lot of things that people watching don't see. Obviously, he's a really gifted player with the puck. It's how he's made a name for himself at this point. That being said, he was in such good spots all over the rink today. You can tell he's learning a lot as he goes. He's trying to be a sponge and it's fun to play with. He's just going to get better as he gets going, but I think today, his play without the puck was better. He was good with the puck, but I'm saying his play without the puck really stood out to me," said Miller, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Rangers need to give more young players like Gabe Perreault extra playing time
This is the one thing the Rangers needed to do, and that's to give the younger players extra reps in games. That's the only way they are going to get better and eventually develop into franhise cornerstones.
Perreault has received his chances on the top line throughout the year, but hasn't done so consistently. He was sent back down to the AHL before getting called back up again in mid-December. He recorded a point in each of his first three games back. There was a dip in production after that.
His most recent impressive performance came in the Rangers' 8-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators, where he scored two goals. Perreault said that while he was proud of this performance, he would have liked a win more. He hasn't logged a point in his ensuing two games. But as Miller said, he's still showing improvement even if it's not on the scoreboard. If he continues playing in a top six forward role, his numbers will only get better. He's still only 20 years old, so there's still plenty of time to develop into a star.
The Rangers need to keep giving younger players like Perreault, Brennan Othmann, and Noah Laba more responsibilities. It will only benefit themselves in the long run. That could arrive, especially if they trade away veterans like Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.