As the New York Rangers approach their centennial season in just under a month's time, one young player in particular could see him get a breakout role on a team looking for a return to the postseason. Look no further than 20 year old Gabe Perreault, a right wing out of collegiate powerhouse/NHL factory Boston College, who made five appearances for the Rangers last season, and he may be due for a top line spot this upcoming season.
Perreault's place on the roster
Right now, Perreault is angling for a spot on the Rangers' third line where there's an opening on the left wing. This indicates that he could play both sides of the ice, making him an ideal player for the opening night roster. New York has been stretched thin at the left wing position for quite sometime, on top of the fact that last season's team leading points scorer, Artemi Panarin, had an uncharacteristic off year, like many on the other side of the puck.
His resume speaks for itself
Perreault has many achievements that even some of the best US-born players can't make a claim to, such as breaking the single season points record for the USNTDP originally set by Toronto's Auston Matthews back in 2022-23, where Perreault had an astonishing 53 goals and 79 assists for 132 points.
Perreault has also greatly excelled on the international stage for Team USA, posting multiple goal campaigns across 3 separate World Juniors tournaments in each of the last 3 years. His best outing was the 2023 tournament, where he put in 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 7 games as Team USA fought its way to a bronze medal over Sweden. In the most recent WJC, Perreault had 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points in 7 games, as Team USA won its second consecutive gold medal in the host nation of Canada. Perreault continued his dominance at the collegiate level, joining the likes of NHL stars Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, and many others in scoring 60 points as a freshman.
What are his odds of earning a spot?
Now, what can Perreault do to guarantee himself a spot on the Rangers' roster on opening night? First, he still needs to work on his speed and physicality, which are the two biggest things holding him back at the moment. This season will give him plenty of opportunities to do so, since he only played in five of the 82 games in a typical NHL regular season last year. Another job Perreault must accomplish is to work his way up the depth chart. As mentioned earlier, he's a bit on the lower lines at the moment, and with training camps starting, he'll need to push himself to earn at least a second line spot if he eventually wants a full time spot. The challenge there is the sheer amount of fellow youngsters like Perreault that all want that themselves.
Making a final prediction, I'd say Perreault heads back to Hartford with the Rangers' AHL affiliate in the Wolf Pack. The new coaching staff, led by Mike Sullivan, is the kind of staff that often plays the best cards first, rather than a mix of young and old, as other coaches might do. Of course, Perreault could also be a surprise addition to the Rangers' main roster if New York decides to take a gamble on the young winger. But given the small NHL experience and limited professional experience, as Perreault has yet to even suit up for a game in Hartford, the Rangers' next superstar will have to wait just a bit longer before he's a full-time NHLer.