Rangers’ Gabe Perreault won’t win the Calder, but his rookie season deserves love

Apr 7, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 6, 2026, 14:57 EDT

Rangers’ Gabe Perreault won’t win the Calder, but his rookie season deserves love

Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers haven’t exactly been known for their high-end player development in recent years.

Alexis Lafreniere hasn’t lived up to expectations since going first overall in 2020. Kaapo Kakko couldn’t make it work and was ultimately sent to the Seattle Kraken. Vitali Kravtsov, Zac Jones and Joey Keane were each high up the Rangers’ organizational chart at one point, too. Only Jones remains on an NHL contract, but he’s currently playing with the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate at 25 years old.

So to say the Rangers didn’t want to screw up Gabe Perreault’s development was an understatement. And so far, so good.

Perreault spent two years terrorizing goaltenders on one of the top lines in the history of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Perreault, along with Will Smith and Ryan Leonard, combined for 155 goals and 353 points in 2022-23 alone. Perreault’s 132-point campaign was the best in team history, proving he could dominate in so many areas with the puck on his stick.

The Rangers landed Perreault 23rd, a selection that many expected to be an absolute steal. That became evident almost immediately at Boston College, where he reunited with Smith and Leonard. Perreault finished with 19 goals and 60 points to finish sixth in NCAA scoring. He then followed that up with 48 points in 2024-25, placing 11th in the nation.

Clearly, he could produce against teenagers. He could do it against college kids, too. But the NHL is a different animal – and early usage under coach Peter Laviolette last year left a lot to be desired. Perreault failed to register a point through five games while Laviolette sparingly used the team’s top prospect.

But under the leadership of first-year Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, things have been much, much better. Perreault didn’t blow anyone away during the preseason and spent most of the first three months of the season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. But Perreault was called up for the second time on Dec. 18, which kicked off a three-game point streak. He’s been with the big club ever since, and is on pace for 26 points in 49 games as a rookie.

That three-goal performance against the Detroit Red Wings last weekend? That’s the type of dominance you love to see.

Time in NCAA weight rooms paid off. Perreault immediately looked like a better skater at the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase – just more than a month after the draft – and it only improved over the two years. Perreault’s skating isn’t a standout quality of his right now or anything. But that was one of the things seen as a heavy detriment before the draft. Some added muscle would go a long way in improving his speed, though.

Perreault loves having the puck on his stick, and he seems to hold it a lot more effectively than he did in his draft year, too. Perreault is so smart on the ice, and his ability to incorporate more patience into his puck distribution against quicker, tougher competition has made him lethal. While he’s not overly aggressive, he does typically do well defending in 1-on-1 plays (typically in small-area situations) because he reads the play well.

“Gabe’s instincts are incredible; it’s hard to explain, but everything that makes Adam Fox good, Gabe has those traits,” said Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus. “The biggest thing for him is getting stronger and faster, but everything else is there. He sees the game three steps ahead, finds guys who don’t even seem like they might be open. His vision and timing are unbelievable.”

Perreault has recently found some success on New York’s top line with Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad. Perreault’s thought process seems to be “all offense, all the time.” So it’s no surprise that he finds his linemates exceptionally well. Perreault is playing at a pace of around 45 points over the full season.

Three players – Calder favorites Beckett Sennecke, Ivan Demidov and Matthew Schaefer – have already surpassed that. But it’s not crazy to think that Perreault could have been in the top five conversation, and potentially even ahead of Leonard, had the 20-year-old spent the full season in the Big Apple.

Long-term, Perreault projects to be a skilled, top-six forward who excels as a playmaker and can do serious damage on the power play. The Rangers are in a rebuild, and Perreault will be a big part of it. He should be in his peak once the Rangers get themselves back into contention again.

So far? Perreault is looking like a gem. There’s still plenty of time for him to grow. But as it stands, there’s so much to love right now.

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