We are beginning to see flashes of Gabe Perreault’s offensive potential at the NHL level with the New York Rangers.
When Perreault played his first games with the Rangers last season and was called up earlier in the 2025-26 season, he went through a steep learning curve, as he struggled adapting to the speed of the NHL game.
“I think where his opportunity for growth and improvement is really just strength on the puck and a little bit of quicknes,” Sullivan said of Perreault in November. And I think they go hand in hand. As a young player, it's just physical maturity. The speed of the game and the size and the strength of the players at this level is second to none. For most young players, that's one of the challenges in making the jump to being an impact player at this level.”
Since being recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, Perreault has played in five games for the Rangers, recording three points.
There’s a certain element of confidence Perreault is playing with that we previously didn’t see. He’s been more engaged offensively, always making the right passes while holding onto pucks more in order to generate scoring opportunities, which has caught the attention of Sullivan.
“I think so,” Sullivan said about whether Perreault is playing with more confidence. “I think he's hanging onto pucks a little bit more. I think he's looking to make more plays when he has it. I think this is just part of the growth and maturity of a player that sometimes it takes a little while for them to figure it out, so to speak.
“Gabe is an intelligent player, and we'll watch him here over the next few games, and have watched him since he's been in the lineup. We moved him up the lineup, as you guys know, we'll see how that goes. There's pros and cons to that, as you guys know, we've had that discussion already, and we'll see how it goes. Obviously, we like his intelligence, his ability to make plays generate offense for us, and then we'll continue to try to help him grow his game on the defensive side.”
Perreault credits his newfound confidence to just continuing to gain more experience at the NHL level.
“(Every) game I think I’m growing more confident and more comfortable,” Perreault said. “I think when you get more comfortable, the confidence kind of comes with it. I think I’m getting more used to the speed and the play up here.”
Sullivan has entrusted the 20-year-old forward with important responsibilities for a rookie, playing him on the second line alongside Vincent Trocheck.
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Trocheck often plays a shutdown role, matching up against the opposing team’s top players. Playing with Trocheck has helped Perreault grow upon his defensive game.
The eventual goal for any young player is to mold into an impactful two-way player, Perreault’s experience in a top-six role is a critical first step to ultimately unlocking that two-way game.
“I mean, it's not only here. I was trying to focus on that when I was in Hartford too,” Perreault said of improving defensively. “I think I've done a pretty good job defensively. He’s (Trocheck) is one of those guys when I first got here, I really wanted to look at him. He's not the biggest guy like me, but I think he kind of does all those little things and plays big. I think that's kind of can take a lot of things out of his game.”
It’s still unclear if Perreault will remain with the Rangers for the remainder of the season or if he’ll eventually be sent back down to the AHL, but he’s continuing to make strides in his development, and that’s an encouraging sign.