Colin Stephenson: Development of Rangers' Gabe Perreault will be a focus in final games of season
Gabe Perreault of the New York Rangers against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden on March 2, 2026. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PHILADELPHIA — Even if the last 19 games of the season don’t have significance for the Rangers in terms of playoff chances, they hardly are meaningless. In fact, they’re quite important as coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Chris Drury try to figure out what they have in the organization and what they need.
“We’re going to try to continue to win games,’’ Sullivan said Saturday, the day after the trade deadline, when the roster was set for the remainder of the season.
“We’re going to try to continue to find out about our group. We’re going to continue to try to move the needle and get better every day. And so we’ll push these guys every day.’’
The guy they are pushing more than anyone else is Gabe Perreault, and he seems to be relishing it.
Two nights after Perreault played a career-high 22 minutes, 21 seconds on Saturday against the Devils in New Jersey, the rookie was electric against the Flyers on Monday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. He contributed a goal and a sweet no-look, backhand feed to set up a power-play goal by Mika Zibanejad as the Rangers routed the fading Flyers, 6-2.
“Obviously, I’ve been playing a lot,’’ Perreault said Monday after the Rangers’ morning skate. “I’m getting a lot of opportunity and kind of gaining a little bit of trust [from the coaching staff], it feels like.’’
Perreault will continue to get a lot of ice time the rest of the way as the Rangers seek to continue the development of the 20-year-old winger, who appears to be the future of the franchise.
With J.T. Miller on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, Perreault has taken his place on the power play’s first unit. Vincent Trocheck said he doesn’t look at all out of place.
“He has skill, he has great vision,’’ Trocheck said. “I mean, he sees things that most guys don’t, so he will be just fine as a power-play guy.’’
He certainly was Monday. He scored one of three goals the unit produced in four opportunities and also set up the one by Zibanejad at 18:40 of the second period.
Perreault took a pass from Trocheck just outside the right-wing goalpost, wheeled to his left and — with his back to the goal — backhanded a pass diagonally past Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to Zibanejad, who put it behind Flyers goalie Dan Vladar for his second goal of the game. That gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead.
“I was actually expecting it,’’ Zibanejad said. “The way he just postured up, and I feel like he saw me . . . It was an unbelievable pass by him.’’
“I kind of looked before, and I knew [Zibanejad] was gonna be going back door, so I kind of threw it, and lucky enough, it went right on his tape,’’ Perreault said with a sheepish grin.
Magic like that is what the Rangers are looking for the rest of the season. If the retool declared by Drury in his Jan. 16 message to the fans is to be successful, Perreault, their first-round draft pick in 2023, is going to need to become a star.
The Rangers’ current core consists of centers Zibanejad, Miller and Trocheck, all 32, goaltender Igor Shesterkin, 30, and defensemen Adam Fox, 28, and Vladislav Gavrikov, 30. It’s an aging core, and the next generation hasn’t stepped up to take enough of the load off their shoulders.
The Rangers need Perreault, who has six goals and seven assists in 30 games, to join that core. By his own admission, he’s come a long way from the prospect who started the season with AHL Hartford.
He’s improved his work on the boards and on the defensive side of the puck, but he’s also learning on the job at the offensive end. He’s figuring out what used to work at lower levels but won’t here while also gaining the confidence to trust his instincts and try to make plays that others are afraid to attempt.
“There’s times where you see a play, and if you’re confident, then you try it,’’ he said. “And that definitely comes with trust and confidence. You know, kind of, at first, I guess you’re probably gripping your stick a little bit tighter than I am now.’’
“I think the best teacher for Gabe right now is the experience itself and just playing the games and figuring out how to have success in different situations,’’ Sullivan said. “He’s got high aptitude for the game, and I think the experiences he’s going through have been invaluable.’’
It’s all part of the growth of a young player. And the Rangers need it to continue in the final 19 games.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
