For years, the New York Rangers have been criticized for the way they handle their young forwards. Many feel they mishandle these players and do not give them enough time to develop. This leads them to move the player for an aging asset or label the player a bust. Players like Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Lias Anderson, and Vitali Kravtsov were all forwards with high expectations, but the Rangers failed to develop them.
Because of their history, many are starting to feel the Rangers are making the same mistakes with Gabe Perreault. Over his 11 games in the NHL this season, Perreault has been stuck in a limited role. This has kept him from being the electric player we saw him be at Boston College. Perreault is a player the Rangers can not afford to mess up with. If they continue to play him in this role, then they will have no choice but to send him back to Hartford.
The Rangers need to avoid making the same mistakes with Gabe Perreault
In his two stints in the NHL, Perreault has recorded a goal and four assists for five points. This has come with him averaging 13:48 minutes of ice time a night. He ranks 15th on the Rangers for average time on the ice, behind guys like Conor Sheary and just ahead of Taylor Raddysh. Those are two established veterans who should be in your bottom six. Their ice time should not be anywhere near the amount of time a player like Perreault gets.
This is a problem the Rangers have had with young players for years. They always seem to put aging veterans with little upside ahead of young, unproven players with more potential. It was the fans' biggest complaint about Kakko and Lafrenière. Those two players were buried on the third line and were not given the opportunity to prove they belong in the NHL. The only way a player is going to get better is by playing, and the more ice time they have, the more chances there are to improve.
It's not like Perreault has been terrible on the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has created 29 high-danger scoring chances and has an expected goals scored of 6. This means that he has been able to generate offensive chances at the NHL level. Sure, there have been growing pains and moments where he has shown inexperience in his shows. But that's the case with every young player. With the Rangers struggling on offense, a player like Perreault should be a staple of the top six.
If this lack of ice time continues, then the Rangers should just send him back down to Hartford. Allow him to play on the top line and give him 18-20 minutes of ice time a night. Sure, it's not at the same talent level as the NHL, but it will give him the opportunity to work out the kinks in his game and become a better player. It's also a level Perreault has dominated this season, which will keep his confidence high.
With how much potential Perreault has, he's a player the Rangers can not afford to mess up. He could be the missing piece they have needed for years. He just needs to be given the time and chances to develop.