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What’s next for Rangers after Gabe Perreault, Scott Morrow assigned to AHL
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- What’s next for Rangers after Gabe Perreault, Scott Morrow assigned to AHL
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Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow won't begin the 2025-26 season in the NHL with the New York Rangers . Arguably their two best prospects were assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League on Friday, one day before New York's preseason finale against the Boston Bruins .
Each youngster impressed Mike Sullivan and the Rangers coaching staff during training camp. But it was always going to be difficult for either player to crack the opening-night lineup considering how deep the veteran Rangers roster is.
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Perreault played all five preseason games to date and leads the Rangers with two goals. His four points are second most on the team, behind rookie center Noah Laba (five points; one goal, four assists), who's one of 24 players remaining on the roster.
The Rangers must trim one more player to be at the 23-man limit before the regular season opens Tuesday with a home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins .
Perreault, 20, was held without a point and failed to manage a shot on goal in a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, despite playing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle . Perreault (2023) is the second first-round pick by the Rangers assigned to the minors this week. Brennan Othmann (2021) will also begin the season in Hartford .
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Like Perreault, Morrow was given a long look in training camp. The 22-year-old defenseman, who was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason in the K'Andre Miller trade , had two points (goal, assist) in five preseason games.
"We're thrilled that he's a Ranger, and we really like what we've seen at this point," coach Mike Sullivan raved about Morrow following practice earlier in the week.
With Adam Fox not playing, Morrow quarterbacked the top power-play unit Thursday against the Devils. Though the Rangers had only one opportunity with the man advantage, Morrow didn't look out of place at all, playing to his strength as a highly-skilled puck-moving defenseman. He was on ice for all four goals in the game (one for, three against).
Perreault, a standout the previous two seasons at Boston College, turned pro last spring and was scoreless in five games with the Rangers. Morrow, an NCAA star at UMass for three years, had 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 52 games during his rookie pro season with AHL Chicago in 2024-25. He's played 16 NHL games with the Hurricanes and totaled six points (one goal, five assists).
What's next for Rangers after trimming roster, assigning 2 rookies to minors
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1. Not end of the world for Rangers rookies
The writing was on the wall most of training camp, and especially of late, that the Rangers likely were going to keep veterans over the kids to begin the season. For one, players like Perreault and Morrow don't require waivers to be sent down to the minors. Secondly, it makes no sense to keep either youngster in the NHL if they're not going to play regularly. Sitting in the press box isn't the best place to develop talented 20-somethings, neither of whom made it impossible for the Rangers to cut them.
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So, they will join Othmann in Hartford, play big minutes in every game situation and on both specialty teams, and continue to grow their respective games. There's no question each has the talent to play now in the NHL, but the experience they'll get in the AHL is invaluable. And it will make each a better player once they inevitably get the call to join the Rangers.
And that's something Sullivan emphasized earlier in the week when he discussed Othmann's demotion.
"Rosters in the NHL are fluid," the coach said Tuesday. "They can change in a day. They can change in 24 or 48 hours. They can change next week. If a decision is made today, it's not etched in stone. There's no finality to it."
2. Rangers must make decision on Noah Laba
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The biggest surprise of training camp is also the last-standing rookie remaining on the roster with one more small round of cuts to come this weekend. Though he didn't stand out against the Devils on Thursday, Laba's impressed right from the start of rookie camp right up until this point. He's big (6-foot-3, 213 pounds), strong, fast, smart, and very mature for a 22-year-old, who, just a year ago, was playing at Colorado College.
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Laba has all the attributes of what you want in a 3C. He's good on face-offs, responsible defensively, and skilled offensively. It's not that his main competitors, Juuso Parssinen and Jonny Brodzinski , have been bad in the preseason. It's just that Laba's been that good.
But like Perreault and Morrow, Laba would still benefit from AHL seasoning and also doesn't require waivers to be sent down. His immediate fate could be tied to injuries further up the lineup. If J.T. Miller (lower-body injury) and/or Artemi Panarin (upper-body injury) aren't ready for opening night, Laba could slip into the lineup, with Parssinen on the wing, as was the case at practice Friday when Panarin didn't participate.
3. Sign or release Conor Sheary from PTO
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Should the Rangers decide not to sign veteran wing Conor Sheary, who's in camp on a PTO, then Laba could make his way on to the roster as the 3C, centering Parssinen and Taylor Raddysh . The problem there is that Sheary's been really good in the preseason, a demon on the forecheck, and productive with one goal, two assists, and a slew of prime scoring chances.
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The 33-year-old also is a favorite of Sullivan's. They won consecutive Stanley Cup championships together with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. And the coach spoke glowingly about Sheary this week.
"I've coached him for a while," Sullivan said . "I know his game pretty well, and I know what it looks like when he's at his best. He's a great puck-pursuit forward. He's a dog on a bone on the puck. He knocks a lot of pucks down. He's got a great stick. He has an offensive dimension to his game. He's shown an ability to score some goals in this league. He can play on a second power play. I wouldn't deem him a top-six forward in this league, but he's a guy that can play in your top six if you need him to, because he has the offensive instincts to do it."
Sheary moved up into the top six when Panarin was a late scratch Thursday and again at practice Friday. But he appears to be a good fit on the third line. It just feels like he's going to make the team, likely at the expense of Brett Berard , who feels like an afterthought right now.
4. Who pairs with who on Rangers defense corps
The Rangers are down to their seven defensemen following Morrow's demotion. Matthew Robertson is clearly the extra here, so the regular six is set. But Sullivan and assistant David Quinn, who handles the defensemen, must finalize what the pairings look like. That shouldn't be too difficult.
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The most likely scenario has Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox as the No. 1 pair. Carson Soucy and Will Borgen have history together and been paired throughout camp and the preseason. So, they seem set as the second pair. Which leaves Urho Vaakanainen and Braden Schneider on the third pair again, despite the chatter about moving Schneider up into the top four.
5. Rangers likely to trim roster to 22 players before opening night
Since the defense corps and two goalie are set, the Rangers must trim from the forward group to get down to 23 players. However, general manager Chris Drury's preference typically is to carry 22 players on the roster.
That'd mean carrying 13 forwards. Assuming Panarin and Miller are healthy, that leaves Laba, Sheary, Berard, and Brodzinski competing for two spots. Brodzinski, who plays wing and center, proved the past couple seasons he's a really good fit as the 13th (extra) forward. If the Rangers sign Sheary to a standard NHL contract, that'd mean two more kids head back to Hartford. If Sheary is released, it'd be difficult to see Laba not making the team (with Parssinen shifting to the wing).
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