Why Rangers got it right with latest recall of Gabe Perreault from Hartford
There seems little doubt that with more than a third of the 2025-26 season in the books, the New York Rangers’ scoring woes aren’t simply going to disappear.
With a 16-15-4 record, and locked in an extremely crowded battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, are in desperate need of an offensive jolt. Their best option – and perhaps the only realistic one at this time – resided in Hartford in the form of top prospect Gabe Perreault.
The Rangers pulled the trigger on that option Wednesday, calling up Perreault and fellow first-round draft pick Brennan Othmann from the American Hockey League.
Perreault, who leads the Wolf Pack with 10 goals and 17 points in 20 games, had a cup of coffee with the big club in November. He played in three games, notched his first NHL point with an assist, and recorded a plus-2 rating, largely playing in the top six and receiving some power-play time.
Perreault’s ice-time and impact were limited in those contests, though. He also endured a rough stretch with Hartford of late, pointless and minus-7 in his past four, when the Wolf Pack were outscored 16-4 and dropped three of those games.
Rangers hope Gabe Perreault is another success story after NHL recall
Despite that unsightly run of play, and the organization’s desire to allow Perreault to develop and get stronger without being rushed, there’s reason to believe the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft can handle this next step. Perreault is mature, succeeded on big stages throughout his teens, and his high-end skill should play at the NHL level.
A number of other young Rangers responded to midseason callups by establishing themselves as NHLers in recent years. Power forward Will Cuylle played four games after coming up as an almost-20-year-old during the 2022-23 season, made the club out of camp in 2023-24 and never went back down. Ditto for defenseman Braden Schneider, who came up in January 2022 at age 20 and been in New York ever since.
Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin bade farewell to Hartford in January 2020 and immediately established himself the Rangers’ future in net. Now-departed center Filip Chytil made two trips between Hartford and Broadway early in his career before sticking in the NHL for good in October 2019.
At 20 and in his rookie pro season, Perreault undoubtedly has some growing to do. The organization wants him to get stronger and quicker, and with a 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, size may always be a challenge for the Quebec native. The aforementioned historical evidence, however, suggests that far from stunting that developmental growth, playing against better competition and having greater responsibility could instead enable it.
The Rangers harbor high hopes that Perreault will develop into a top-six point producer, with there being a general consensus around the League that he was only available to the Rangers at No. 23 because the 2023 draft was loaded with talent. There’s no question that the Rangers never intended for him to spend much time in the minors, once he signed his entry-level contract last spring.
“You can tell in the American League: Sometimes he’s too smart for those guys,” an Eastern Conference scout told The Athletic recently. “He’s a cerebral player, and his stick is one of the best sticks I’ve seen.”
The Rangers need immediate help. They scored one goal in their past two games, a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, and a 3-0 defeat to the last-place Vancouver Canucks 24 hours later. The Blueshirts average 2.51 goals scored per game, 29th in the NHL. Their one-goal effort came against a Ducks team that’s tied for 24th in the League with 3.29 goals allowed per contest; the Canucks give up 3.39 goals a game – 26th overall.
NHL Network host E.J. Hradek forshadowed Perreault’s recall, when he was a guest on the RINK RAP podcast last week.
“It’s interesting to see what’s going on with Gabe Perreault, because he’s playing real well in the American (Hockey) League,” Hradek told Forever Blueshirts. “I am someone who believes in letting guys ripen at the lesser levels, and so that’s probably a good thing that he’s getting that experience there. But that said, they need help at the NHL level, which is a problem. Maybe that injection of, as they say, that youthful enthusiasm and youthful talent to your mix up front would give them a little bit of a jump.”
Lack of scoring, depth on wing opens door for Gabe Perreault opportunity with Rangers
Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
It’s worth remembering that Perreault was one of New York’s better forwards during training camp, before management chose a more cautious path and sent him down to start the season in Hartford. Like Othmann, Perreault needs to be a better 200-foot player, especially on the defensive side of the puck, per coach Mike Sullivan.
But the Rangers are very thin on the wing. So the kids got the call Wednesday to try and help jump start the offense, beginning Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues.
Veteran Conor Sheary, a favorite of Sullivan, is miscast in the top-six role he often occupies. He has one goal and nine points in 32 games this season. Perreault should assume that top-six spot and be given a fair shake in this latest call-up.
Ostensible top-line right wing Alexis Lafreniere has only seven goals in 35 games on the season.
What ails the Rangers is considerably more than one promising rookie can fix. They lack team speed, and a game-breaker who can make things happen at 5-on-5. They don’t have enough players who can get to the net and score from the dirty areas, and they need an elite finisher who can more consistently convert on some of the strong work that the club does manage to do in the offensive zone.
Even their most dangerous scorer, Artemi Panarin, hasn’t been nearly consistent enough this season. Panarin has 11 goals and 34 points in 35 games, but been held off the score sheet in nearly half of New York’s outings (16 of 35).
There’s little downside to give Perreault another shot to stick with the big club, which needs his skills now. It might be too late later on when his all-around game is more complete.
The Rangers made the right call Wednesday. Now let’s see Perreault prove it.
