Gabe Perreault’s rise has given the Rangers something they haven’t had often enough: a young forward actually taking off in New York.
Through 19 games this season, the 21-year-old winger has forced his way onto the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière, while also grabbing a spot on the first-unit power play. The production has followed. Perreault has six goals and three assists, and his quick climb has become a clear sign that the Rangers are handling his development differently than they have with some of their recent high-profile prospects.
That matters because the organization’s track record with young forwards has drawn plenty of criticism. Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and Filip Chytil all came through the system with expectations attached, but none of them reached their offensive ceilings in New York.
Too often, they were stuck on checking lines, without steady top-six partners or meaningful power-play time. Even Lafrenière needed four full NHL seasons before he finally broke through.
Perreault entered the season with that history hanging over him. He had the Boston College résumé and the buzz, but plenty of fans were bracing for the same old Rangers story. Instead, the early returns have been different.
Last season, the team gave him a measured path. He spent 20 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he put up 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points.
When he came back to the NHL, Sullivan didn’t throw him into the deep end right away. Perreault started in a middle-six role, then gradually earned more trust as his game adjusted to the speed and pace of the league.
As the season moved along, he picked up occasional top-six chances and started building chemistry with players like Zibanejad. That foundation set him up for the breakout he’s having now in 2026-27. The key difference from the Rangers’ past with young talent is simple: when Perreault played well, he moved up instead of being buried.
The numbers back up the eye test. At 5-on-5, Natural Stat Trick has Perreault at a 49.33 CF%, a 54.21 SCF%, and a 54.52 xG%.
In other words, he isn’t being hidden. He’s helping drive possession, making quick decisions in traffic, and turning chances into dangerous looks near the net.
That’s why his path now looks like a template the Rangers should keep using. Give a skilled young player time to settle in, let him work through the middle six, and reward him when he earns more.
For a franchise that has watched too many promising forwards stall out, Perreault’s breakthrough feels different. It looks like development done right.
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Sullivan also had to deal with the familiar headache of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two stars who can tilt a game even when the Rangers are doing a lot right. Edmonton goalie Devon Levi helped keep New York from turning that territorial edge into a bigger payoff with several key saves, leaving the Rangers with a performance they could point to and still a result they could not fully cash in on. The encouraging part is obvious. The frustrating part is just as clear. [Read more 🡒]
Mika Zibanejad Is Giving Rangers A Scoring Problem They Cant Ignore
Mika Zibanejads season has taken on a strange shape for the Rangers: the playmaking is still there, and in some ways it has been better than ever, but the shot volume has dipped to a level that stands out for all the wrong reasons. Through 19 games, he has been setting up teammates at a career-high rate while producing only three goals, a reminder that even when he is driving offense, he is not doing it in the same direct way the Rangers have come to expect.
The concern is not that Zibanejad has lost his touch. His shot velocity is still among the leagues best, which makes the drop in attempts even more notable, because the threat of his release has long been part of what makes New Yorks attack harder to defend. When he is firing less often, the Rangers lose some of that unpredictability, and for a team that leans on him to tilt the ice, that is a scoring issue they cannot simply overlook. [Read more 🡒]