As announced by the New York Post's Mollie Walker on Wednesday morning, New York Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette has confirmed that 19-year-old Gabe Perreault will be a healthy scratch for the Blueshirts on Wednesday night.
The Rangers will be taking on the Philadelphia Flyers with a 31-77-9 overall record at Madison Square Garden while missing their latest signee. However, the Flyers have some young talent of their own on their roster who could hold some sway in the April 9th game results.
Here's why Jamie Drysdale is the opposing team's player to watch ahead of the matchup.
Jamie Drysdale
Dysdale is a puck-moving defenseman known for his exceptional skating ability, smart decision-making, and offensive instincts, particularly on the power play, though he is still developing his defensive game due to his youth.
The Toronto, Ontario, Canada native was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks for Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8, 2024. Drysdale was originally selected as the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft after he was an Ontario Hockey League First-Team All Star for Erie in 2019-20 with 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) in 49 games during his second season.
As for his international play, he helped Canada win the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship with three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games.
Despite being only in his early 20s, it was clear from even younger that the defenseman was destined for success on the ice. When he was 17-years-old Drysdale became the youngest defensemen since Jay Bouwmeester in 2001 to play for Canada at World Juniors and the sixth-youngest Canada-born defensemen in tournament history.
On the 2024-25 season so far, Drysdale sits at No. 10 on the current Flyers club stats list with 20 points across seven goals and 13 assists.
How to Tune In
While those who are heavy Perreault fans may skip this one, other Rangers fans can tune into the Wednesday night matchup via Max, Sling TV, TNT, TruTV, YouTube, or YouTube TV. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST and be sure to tune into our Twitter for live updates.