The New York Rangers are not making the playoffs, so they are using this last stretch of the season to evaluate their roster. The team has given opportunities to their young prospects, such as forward Adam Sýkora and defenseman Drew Fortescue. But one of their top prospects has been with the team for the majority of this season, and that's winger Gabe Perreault.
The expectation around Perreault was that he would show growth as the season went on, and he did just that. He's playing good all-around hockey and has built incredible chemistry with star Mika Zibanejad and former first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere on the Rangers' top forward line, Over time he should only improve.
During their latest power rankings article, The Athletic's Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn not only ranked all 32 teams in the league, but also offered some pro comparisons to their young stars. For the Rangers, duo compared Perreault to current Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau.
The Athletic gives Gabe Perreault a pro comp of Jonathan Huberdeau
"While he doesn’t have a lot of games under his belt, 20-year-old Gabe Perreault has turned heads of late in an elevated role, scoring four goals and 14 points in 16 games since March 1. That assist-heavy production has him mirroring some top-six playmakers, with the most eye-popping being Jonathan Huberdeau. If Perreault can become anything close to prime Huberdeau, it would be a major development win for the Rangers. And boy do they need it," write Gentille and Luszczyszyn.
Perreault being compared to Huberdeau should be something that excites Rangers fans. Sure, this season Huberdeau has dreadful numbers, but that can credited to him being limited due to a hip injury. But when Huberdeau was in his prime? He was one of the top playmakers in the game.
Huberdeau started off his career with the Florida Panther as the third-overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year after recording 31 points in 48 games with the Panthers. By the time the 2017-18 season rolled around, Huberdeau became a consistent 40-plus assist player for seven consecutive years. His best campaign arrived in 2021-22, as he put up a league-best 85 assists, while also posting 30 goals. After that season, the Panthers traded Huberdeau to the Flames as part of their blockbuster deal for Matthew Tkachuk.
Huberdeau's numbers in Calgary were nowhere near as good as they were in Florida, but that's not the point. Huberdeau in his prime years was a great playmaker. If Perreault were to get anywhere close to that potential, as Gentille and Luszczyszyn point out, it would be a gigantic win for the Rangers. Their player development with prospects hasn't panned out in recent years, but Perreault is one of their recent bright spots. Perreault is still only 20 years old, so there's only more room for him to grow.
Thus far, Perreault has done everything the Rangers could have asked for, and then some. If he does develop into an consistently great playmaker, like Huberdeau in his Florida years, Rangers fans would sign up for it.