The Rangers won’t be locking up Gabe Perreault with an early extension, and with the NHL’s eight-year extension window closing today before the new CBA takes effect, that’s a notable miss for anyone hoping New York would jump in on the recent contract rush.
Around the league, the market has been moving fast. Zeev Buium signed for eight years at $9.38 million, Fraser Minten got seven years at $7.2 million, Braeden Bowen landed six years at $3.4 million, and Noah Ostlund signed for eight years at $6.6 million.
On Tuesday, Drake Batherson agreed to an eight-year deal worth $10.75 million, while Perreault’s former teammate Ryan Leonard also signed for eight years at $10.5 million. But none of that has led to a deal for Perreault.
According to beat reporter Peter Baugh, the two sides haven’t even had extension negotiations to this point. With only hours left before the deadline, it would take a major surprise for anything to change.
Have seen folks wondering about Gabe Perreault (RFA next summer) amid the rush of eight-year extensions before the CBA changes go into effect at midnight. There haven’t been any extension negotiations up to this point, I’ve been told.
- Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) September 15, 2026
There’s responsibility on both sides here, but the Rangers’ approach under President and General Manager Chris Drury is clearly part of the equation. At the same time, Perreault or his camp could have pushed to get something done if they wanted to. The feeling here is that Perreault believes in himself and sees a bigger payday coming as the cap keeps rising.
His brief NHL sample already gives that confidence some backing. In 49 games, Perreault scored 12 goals and added 15 assists for 27 points while averaging 15:59 of ice time. Stretch that across a full season, and the pace looks like nearly 20 goals and 40 points.
And that may just be the floor. With Perreault expected to be a full-time top-six player and possibly a regular on the top line, a season in the 25-goal, 60-point neighborhood is very much in play.
It’s also easy to forget just how strong his résumé already is. Perreault wasn’t a first-round pick because of a lack of production.
At Boston College, he put up 35 goals, 73 assists and 108 points in 73 games over two seasons. Before that, he set the USNDP single-season scoring record with 53 goals, 79 assists and 132 points, a mark that topped names like Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes and Patrick Kane.
Perreault has spent plenty of time proving people wrong, and that history makes it hard to imagine him rushing into a deal that might undersell him. In a lot of ways, he looks like one of the Rangers’ most important long-term pieces. Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox are the team’s top two players, Pavel Dorofeyev is an intriguing addition, Alberts Smits is the new prospect name to watch, and Alexis Lafrenière still carries long-term upside.
If Perreault eventually reaches the ceiling some believe he has - even something in the Nikita Kucherov range - that would be a major swing for the Rangers and what they’re trying to build in the post Letter 2.0 retool. For now, though, there’s no extension on the way, and given his production, his limited NHL sample and the opportunities ahead in 2026-27, that silence makes sense.
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