Gabe Perreault could quite possibly be one of the most important players for the New York Rangers in the coming years as they look to transition between an older experienced core to one that includes promising young players. In recent years top end picks such as Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko have delivered a mixed bag of results, and it is fair to say that neither quite lived up to the expectations surrounding them.
Perreault is currently the team's top prospect, and while there could be a place for him on the NHL roster this October, it is in both parties best interests if he starts the 2025-26 season as a member of the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Perreault joined the Rangers for a brief spin after signing his entry-level contract and leaving Boston College for life in the Big Apple. He registered zero points in his NHL stint, and that isn't something people should care about. He had flashes of brilliance and brought some energy and creativity to a Rangers squad that was playing out the string before heading home for the longest offseason in recent memory.
With training camp and the preseason weeks away, we soon will get a sense of how the organization views Perreault's immediate future. It will be important to see who he plays with, and what special teams units he is part of. While it is tempting to pencil him in to an NHL spot based on his talent and what he could bring to the 25-26 Rangers, it is important for the team and fans to have patience.
Learning from past mistakes
The Rangers were right to put Lafrenière in the NHL when they did given his status as a prospect. Hindsight says that Kakko probably should have spent another year in Finland, or at the very least he should have been assigned to Hartford during his rookie season given how much he was struggline. Perreault comparatively is a worse prospect than Lafrenière and Kakko were, and when I think of his situation, I can't help but think of another Boston College Eagle.
It worked for a franchise legend, why can't it for Perreault?
Chris Kreider, now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, made his NHL debut during the 2012 playoffs after leaving Boston College. He appeared in 18 games for the Blueshirts and scored five goals while adding two assists for seven points. He debuted at 6"3" and 230 pounds and even when he wasn't contributing offense he was impacting the game with his speed and physicality that was very much NHL ready.
The start of the 2012-13 NHL season wad delayed because of a lockout, and that enabled Kreider to spend 48 games with the Connecticut Whale in the AHL where he posted a line of 12-11-23. He would appear in just 23 games with the Rangers that season and tallied two goals and an assist for three points. The following season, a year in which the Rangers went to the Stanley Cup Final, Kreider appeared in six additional games for Hartford. That would be the last of Kreider's time in the developmental league, and he hasn't looked back since.
This is the type of approach the Rangers should have with Perreault, because with how the roster is currently constructed, they need young players who can eventually step in and shoulder some of the offensive responsibilities of the veterans. Perreault was an amazing player during his rookie season in college, and was still very good during his sophomore season.
He's also contributed in big moments for Team USA at the World Junior Championship. There's every reason to believe he will be a productive player, but what's the harm in letting him spend 30 to 40 games with the Wolf Pack and seeing if he's able to dominate?
Other Hartford bound prospects have forced team's hand before
Brennan Othmann, like Perreault, was a first-round draft pick and was picked at 16th overall. He debuted with 21 goals, 28 assists, and 49 points in 67 games, and followed that up with a 12-8-20 line in 27 games last season.
Brett Berard was a fifth rounder, and he posted a line of 25-23-48 in 71 games as a rookie. He followed it up with a 9-14-23 line in 30 games with the Pack last season. It was clear he had talent and was ready for a challenge. He exceeded expectations with six goals, four assists, and 10 points in 35 NHL games.
By all accounts Perreault is a much better prospect who had a skillset that made him more NHL ready than either of them, and if that's truly the case it will become apparent after just a few weeks skating in the American Hockey League. Given the role he could play in the next wave of the Rangers, it is very important that he's eased along and the team is sure that he is ready to contribute, and they have the correct role for him.
No room in the inn... right now
The top six is spoken for right now with Artemi Panarin, Will Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad, and Lafrenière occupying the four wing spots. Othmann and Berard are set to compete for a third-line wing spot and face competition from players that include Taylor Raddysh, Jonny Brodzinski, and Adam Edstrom among others. The team's center depth beyond J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck is lacking, and I don't know if Perreault's career will get off to a hot start if he's relying on Juuso Parssinen and/or Sam Carrick as a primary facilitator.
Once the preseason starts we'll have a better idea of how close Perreault is to being an NHL mainstay. It will be a small sample of six games, but we will know pretty quickly if Perreault is at a point where he's so good that starting in the NHL looks like a possibility.
And this may be a hot take, but even if he comes out flying and looking like one of the best players on the team, they should still send him down for at least a month. There's important lessons that can be learned by seeing how he responds to being "snubbed" but at the end of the day he would benefit from top-line playing time in the AHL and getting in those important reps.
Perreault is going to be a player that gets a ton of attention over the next few weeks, and it will be very interesting to see how the situation plays out. He could be an ultimate X factor this season, and it's very important for the Rangers to bring him along at the proper speed so that he has the chance to do so.