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Rangers coach discusses ‘balancing act’ after recall of Gabe Perreault
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- Rangers coach discusses ‘balancing act’ after recall of Gabe Perreault
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The New York Rangers are winless on home ice (0-6-1) to begin the 2025-26 season. But they'll try to flip the script when they host the struggling Nashville Predators on Monday night — and they're hoping to get a spark from the top prospect in their organization, Gabe Perreault .
The Rangers recalled the 2023 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) on Sunday from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He's expected to make his season debut against the Preds.
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After a strong sophomore season for Boston College, Perreault signed an entry-level contract on March 31. He appeared in five NHL games before the end of the 2024-25 season without recording a point.
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Perreault had a productive preseason that saw him put up two goals and four points in five games, but the Rangers elected to send him to Hartford to start the season, with coach Mike Sullivan citing a desire for him to hone his craft before returning to the NHL.
To his credit, it seems the 20-year-old carried a productive mindset regarding his one-month AHL stint.
"I think it was really good for me to go down there, play a lot of minutes, work on a lot of the little things that I needed to work on," Perreault said during the pregame media availability. "Wall play, defensive details, little stuff like that — and also tried to work on my strengths at the same time, so a mix of all those things."
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The early returns were impressive. Perrault paced the Wolf Pack with five goals and 10 points in nine games.
Of late, he's been nothing short of dominant. In his last four games, Perreault recorded four goals and eight points, helping him land AHL Player of the Week honors on Nov. 3.
"The reports are that he's played really well, especially most recently," Sullivan noted Monday. "I think there was a little bit of a slow start — I think that was kinda the whole group — but since then, I think Gabe's game has evolved in a lot of ways. He's had a number of games there now, and we're hoping that he can bring that confidence to this group."
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Perreault managed two points (one goal, one assist) through his first five AHL games as the Wolf Pack stumbled to a 1-4-0 start. But as the team began to find its footing, so did Perreault, displaying the skill that made him one of the top forwards in collegiate hockey before turning pro.
The decision to call up Perreault at this stage of his career is no small matter.
The recent history of the Rangers is littered with failed top-10 first-round picks, ranging from complete busts like Lias Andersson (No. 7 overall in 2017) and Vitali Kravtsov (No. 9 overall in 2018), to the underwhelming production from 2020 No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and 2019 No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who was traded to the Seattle Kraken last December.
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Externally, it appears Sullivan and general manager Chris Drury have made a concerted effort to change that narrative with Perreault, prioritizing his development and maturation. While that process required some seasoning in Hartford, the Rangers' offensive struggles facilitated Perreault's return to the NHL.
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"That's the balancing act," Sullivan acknowledged. "Ideally, we were trying to give Gabe some time down there to build and develop his game, physically and otherwise, in the hopes that when he does get called to New York, he has the ability to be successful."
Sullivan, Rangers putting Perreault in position to thrive
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Perreault joined Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller on the first line at practice, suggesting that he will immediately skate in a top-six role.
"He's an offensive player that has really good instincts on that side of the puck, so our intention is to set him up for success so we can play to his strengths," Sullivan said. "I don't know that it makes a whole lot of sense to call a player up like that and put him in a bottom-six role."
It's a departure from the way the Blueshirts have handled top prospects. Notably, Lafreniere and Kakko both began their time on Broadway in bottom-six roles; Lafreniere didn't land a consistent top-six spot until 2023-24, his fourth NHL season, and Kakko never got one before being traded.
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"I think he's a guy that potentially could help us if we can get the best version of him," Sullivan said of the son of former NHL center Yanic Perreault. "It's a great opportunity for him. We're excited to watch him."
Perreault said he was excited to play with two of the Rangers' top veterans.
"It's definitely good for my confidence," he admitted. "I think obviously playing with two guys like that — I mean it makes it pretty easy on me, so y'know just try to make them better and give them the puck and good things will happen."
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