The New York Rangers appear to have completed the bulk of their moves this offseason. While they could still choose to add a forward before training camp, the roster looks to be set heading into training camp. Even though preseason has yet to begin, that doesn't mean that a team can't look towards the near future. Specifically, next offseason.
Recently, the Rangers watched one of their rivals lock in one of their young players long term. The Pittsburgh Penguins recently signed forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension. The Penguins got this done as a new NHL rule is set to take effect when the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in on Sept. 16, which would only allow teams to sign a current player to a maximum seven-year extension, as opposed to the current eight-year maximum. Even though Koivunen didn't exactly impress this past season, the Penguins and their general manager Kyle Dubas have confidence in his development, and signed him to the eight-year extension.
That has fans across the NHL wondering if their team will try to sign one of their young, prominent players to an eight-year extension before the CBA takes effect in over a month. For the Rangers, one of their notable players set to hit restricted free agency is forward Gabe Perreault, who showed real promise in his first full stint with the Rangers this past season. Surely, the Rangers can get something done before that, right?
Don't count on it.
Rangers signing Gabe Perreault to extension is smart, but looks unlikely to happen
While it would be a smart move to get something done with Perreault before the start of the season to ensure he is with the team for the foreseeable future, that doesn't look to be in the cards.
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano recently released an article looking at the Rangers' cap space heading into the 2027-28 league year. Mercogliano mentioned while it would be smart to extend Perreault and other top restricted free agents like Will Cuylle and Noah Laba before the start of this season, there are factors that could prevent this.
"It’s difficult to project what their next contracts will cost if Drury waits, which is why it makes sense to be proactive and discuss extensions now. If there’s a chance to get ahead with Perreault in particular, the Rangers should jump at it," writes Mercogliano. "Then again, he and agent Pat Brisson are wise enough to realize that patience could work to their benefit if the 21-year-old winger produces points the way he’s capable of this season."
While it is up to President and General Manager Chris Drury to pursue contract talks with Perreault, an important factor is that he has the NHL's super agent representing him in Pat Brisson. Other players that Brisson represents include Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Jack EIchel, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, and Dylan Larkin, just to name a few. All of these players have signed contract extensions with their respective teams, but they did so after proving their worth.
For Perrault, he only had one season where he played a significant portion of time, putting up 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games. He notably thrived late in the season when on the top line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. But, there is a chance for Perreault to increase his price tag in contract negotiations.
Gabe Perreault can increase price tag in contract talks with strong 2026-27 season
As mentioned earlier, Perreault had great chemistry when lining up with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, making it an obvious move to keep that line together heading into next season. Why not continue to build on that chemistry and ensure that they are one of the top lines in the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference, and NHL?
However, there is a possibility next season that Perreault could drop to the second line in favor of offseason acquisition Pavel Dorofeyev, but he does have momentum heading into this upcoming season. Even if Perreault is demoted, he would line up with J.T. Miller, who is looking to bounce back from a down 2025-26 season. There is a bit of uncertainty regarding who could play on the opposite wing, whether it is Oliver Bjorkstrand or Cuylle or potentially a prospect like Liam Greentree.
Regardless of where Perreault lines up, he is going to get significant minutes. Plus, there's a chance he can climb into the top power play unit, especially with Vincent Troceck no longer on the team. If that happens, that can open the door for Perreault to increase his scoring production further.
Perhaps contract talks could kick off during training camp between the Rangers and Perreault's camp, but it does make sense for him to increase his stock with a strong, second-full season. So, maybe don't count on an extension before the start of the 2026-27 campaign, Rangers fans.
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