2026 Rangers Report Card: Gabe Perreault

This article is part of an ongoing series of Rangers Report Cards, grading the performance of each member of the 2025-26 New York Rangers. To view more report cards in this series, go here.

To read the Season Preview for Gabe Perreault, go here. 

Expectations

After the tumultuous but mostly uneventful five-game taste of the NHLunder then-head coach Peter Laviolette at the end of the 2024-25 season, Gabe Perreault came into training camp more prepared than ever to make his mark. As this was going to be his first full professional season, and under a brand-new coaching staff, we anticipated Perreault to impress in the preseason, but ultimately get assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

While in the AHL, given his expected future and scoring potential, Perreault was expected to flirt with a point-per-game scoring rate and eventually get a look in the big league when the Rangers needed reinforcements. If he played his cards right, he could stick in the NHL if the situation and his play warranted it.

Performance

AHL 20 GP| 10 G | 7 A | 17 PTS | +5 | 34 SOG | 14 PIM

NHL 49 GP | 12 G | 15 A | 27 PTS | +/- 0 | 73 SOG | 10 PIM

Perreault's training camp went exactly as we expected. He stood out, and his offense was already translating to the NHL, but with multiple depth pieces signed during the summer and concerns over ice time, the Rangers made the tough decision to send him to the AHL, where he could get top-line minutes every night and refine his game.

His first stint in the AHL lasted nine games before the Rangers called him up. Perreault scored five goals and 10 points in those nine games, already impressing on a weaker Wolf Pack team. In early November, against the Nashville Predators, Perreault registered his first point, getting some power play ice time and assisting on Alexis Lafrenière's goal in the second period. Perreault entered the offensive zone, slowed down, allowing Lafrenière to burst past him, and made a deft, soft saucer pass right to his stick, giving him the time and space to make a move toward the net. This was a sign of things to come.

This second NHL cup of coffee lasted only three games before Perreault was reassigned to the Wolf Pack. Importantly, he didn't look out of place, and it felt as if it were only a matter of time before he'd be seen on the ice at Madison Square Garden again. Perreault would play another 11 games with Hartford, this time scoring at a slightly lower clip, but still managing seven points. When promoted again to the NHL, he wasted no time, scoring his first NHL goal against the St. Louis Blues in his first game back with the Rangers.

This time, Perreault never returned to the AHL. Though he didn't score in every game, even when his name didn't appear on the scoresheet if you reviewed the game tape, you'd notice one or two high-level plays where Perreault made a strong or crafty move and was one post or a bobbled pass away from a goal or an assist. His hockey IQ was off the charts, and his ability to see the ice and make plays at the highest level carried him for the rest of the season. His 27 points in 49 games translate to a 45-point campaign over a full season. That's an impressive number for a rookie, especially on a team that struggled as much as the Rangers did.

At times, due to injury, Perreault would get looks on the top power-play unit, and there was a brief stretch during the season when the Rangers' man advantage was lethal. Everything he did in the USNTDP and the NCAA carried over to the NHL. His goal-scoring and playmaking were the real deal. Looking back, it now feels silly that he was ever assigned to the AHL in favor of a couple of depth pieces who were essentially warm bodies to fill a spot. Perreault was good enough to secure a role on the Rangers' top line, playing next to Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière and ultimately helping both players have resurgent seasons.

Grades

Author Grade: A-

Banter Consensus: A-

Final Evaluation

For his first full professional season, Perreault had an outstanding year. He was so effective for the Rangers that Sullivan's decision to pull him from the top power-play unit when J.T. Miller returned was scoffed at by most, with some (myself included) joking that Sullivan was doing his part to ensure the Rangers’ tank continued.

It was a hard season to endure, but the Rangers' rookie was one of the bright spots. The future looks promising, given that the Blueshirts have a potentially elite play driver and creator at this stage in his career. Next year's expectations for him will be vastly different. Instead of acclimating to the league and the pace of professional hockey, Perreault will be leaned upon to help the team win games, and a 60-point projection is not outrageous.

The Rangers' selection of him in the 2023 draft is the type of move needed to build a contending team in the long run.