The Rangers may be looking at the same offseason problem a lot of teams face: do you pay a young player early, or let the season play out and risk the price going up?
That question is sitting right in front of New York with Gabe Perreault. The winger flashed real promise in his first full run with the Rangers last season, and on paper, there’s a clear case for getting an extension done before the 2026-27 campaign begins. But the more this situation is examined, the less likely that seems.
Part of the pressure around the league comes from Pittsburgh’s recent move with Ville Koivunen. The Penguins gave the forward an eight-year, $32 million extension before the new NHL rule changes the maximum term to seven years once the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect on Sept.
- Even though Koivunen “didn't exactly impress this past season,” Pittsburgh and general manager Kyle Dubas showed enough faith in his development to lock him in early.
That kind of deal naturally gets people wondering whether other teams will try to beat the clock with their own young talent. For the Rangers, Perreault is the obvious name to watch.
He’s headed for restricted free agency, and he just put together a season that gave the organization something real to work with: 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games. He also caught fire late in the year while skating on a top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere.
Still, the idea of an early extension is easier to talk about than pull off.
The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano recently pointed out that it would make sense for the Rangers to be proactive with Perreault and other key restricted free agents such as Will Cuylle and Noah Laba. But he also laid out the catch.
“It’s difficult to project what their next contracts will cost if Drury waits, which is why it makes sense to be proactive and discuss extensions now. If there’s a chance to get ahead with Perreault in particular, the Rangers should jump at it," Mercogliano wrote.
"Then again, he and agent Pat Brisson are wise enough to realize that patience could work to their benefit if the 21-year-old winger produces points the way he’s capable of this season.”
That agent matters. Perreault is represented by Pat Brisson, whose client list includes Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Jack EIchel, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, and Dylan Larkin. Those players have all landed extensions with their teams, but only after establishing their value.
That’s the part working against the Rangers here. Perreault has shown enough to justify optimism, but not enough to force a rushed deal. If he puts together another strong season, his leverage climbs fast.
There’s also a lineup wrinkle that could help him pad those numbers. Perreault could stay with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, which would make sense after the chemistry he showed there late last season.
But there’s also a chance he slides to the second line behind offseason addition Pavel Dorofeyev. If that happens, he could still land alongside J.T.
Miller, who is trying to rebound from a down 2025-26 season. The other wing spot is less settled, with Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cuylle, or even prospect Liam Greentree all possibilities.
Wherever he plays, Perreault should get meaningful ice time. He could also work his way onto the top power play unit, especially with Vincent Troceck no longer on the team. That kind of role would give him another chance to raise his production and, by extension, his asking price.
So while contract talks could start during training camp, the safer bet is that the Rangers let this one breathe. Perreault has every reason to make himself more expensive, and the Rangers may have to live with that if they wait too long.
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Joonas Korpisalo and Sean Durzi are the latest attempts to harden that roster against a repeat in 2026-27, giving New York more cover in goal and on defense if the injury bug shows up again. The question now is whether those additions are enough to change the conversation from survival to actual stability, because the Rangers know all too well how quickly a season can unravel when the depth chart gets tested. [Read more 🡒]