How Rangers rookies show they can be silver lining in humiliating season
The way things are trending for the New York Rangers, there won’t be many positives to take away from their 2025-26 season.
Four days removed from a 10-2 rout by the Bruins in Boston, the Rangers (20-22-6) suffered another lopsided defeat, falling 8-4 to the Ottawa Senators on Madison Square Garden ice Wednesday. New York’s fifth-straight loss (0-4-1) continued its descent down the NHL standings; the Rangers are now last in the Eastern Conference (46 points) and fifth-worst in the League with a .479 points percentage.
The Rangers have just two regulation wins in their past 19 games. They’ve commemorated their centennial season with a grand total of five home wins in 22 games at MSG. It’s the second consecutive season when they hit the skids due to an amalgam of poor confidence, poor energy, and poor execution. And with seven major contracts already on the books until 2028-29, they’re not in the best position to blow everything up and embrace a full rebuild.
Simply put, there’s little reason to believe better days await in the near future.
But if there is any hope to cling onto, you’d be advised to look in the direction of two rookie forwards — Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba.
Perreault recorded the first multi-goal game of his young NHL career against the Senators, showcasing his offensive prowess with a pair of slick finishes.
The 2023 first-rounder (No. 23 overall) notched his first goal in 11 games, cashing in on a give-and-go from J.T. Miller with a silky backhander that beat Senators goalie Leevi Merilainen five-hole late in the second period. He scored again in the third period, this time utilizing a forehand-backhand deke to convert on the rush.
Laba joined him on the score sheet not long after, deflecting Alexis Lafreniere’s power-play shot into the net for his sixth goal this season.
The rookies accounted for three of New York’s four tallies Wednesday, although that’s little consolation in another humiliating defeat.
“Obviously, it’s nice to get one, but at the end of the day, we lost, so it doesn’t really matter,” Perreault stated postgame.
When isolating the game itself, Perreault’s perspective rings true. By the time he ended Ottawa’s shutout bid at 18:55 of the second period, the Rangers were already trailing 6-0. And though a three-goal third period perhaps provided a better finish, it fell well short of altering the final result — another lopsided Blueshirts loss.
Gabe Perreault showed Rangers glimpse of the offensive star he can be in NHL
Through the longer lens of a failed Rangers season, though, a successful day from Perreault and Laba is fairly meaningful. In fact, it’s one of the few silver linings the organization can get excited about.
New York is tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the most games played in the NHL at 48. As long as Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox remain sidelined, it’s hard to picture a turnaround of any significance, especially considering the hole they’ve already dug themselves.
That sobering reality reframes this season’s objective. Instead of pushing to contend by the March 6 trade deadline, New York is best served prioritizing next year and beyond. That should include expanded playing opportunities for rookies and developing young players — particularly Perreault.
On Wednesday, early in-game line shuffling by coach Mike Sullivan resulted in Perreault joining Miller and Mika Zibanejad. It ended up being New York’s best line. Miller and Zibanejad assisted on both of Perreault’s tallies, and the trio posted a team-high 67.09 expected-goals-for percentage at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.
“I think we had some good chances overall,” Perreault noted. “Obviously, it sucked we were down that much, but I think we definitely showed some signs at the end there.”
“Obviously, I liked it,” Sullivan affirmed when asked about the line. “We stuck with it. He scores a couple of goals. But I thought the line played well from the time we made the switch.”
Perhaps Perreault gets more consistent playing time in the top six. It’s not an easy role for a rookie, particularly under Sullivan, who prioritizes capable defensive play. Still, Perreault hasn’t looked overmatched since his latest recall from Hartford of the American Hockey League, and it’s encouraging to see him flash his offensive talents after some spotty production.
The Rangers’ current standing in the playoff picture should be even more incentive to use the talented kid in a larger role. As long as Perreault proves he can hold his own and play responsible hockey, he’ll only benefit from more time in the top six and increased reps against more challenging defensive matchups.
What to expect from Rangers rookies as season progresses
An expanded role for Perreault shouldn’t necessarily come with expanded expectations — at least in terms of point production.
His two-goal outburst was an encouraging sign from a young player who had scored just once in his first 19 NHL games. And perhaps it’s just the confidence boost he needs moving forward.
Then again, it’s fair to expect some inconsistency from a rookie less than a year removed from playing at Boston College.
“I think it definitely will be good for my confidence,” Perreault acknowledged. “But like I said, I gotta find a way to help the team win in any way, and hopefully I can do that here.”
It’s nice if he shows up on the score sheet, but Perreault’s 2025-26 season in the NHL shouldn’t be evaluated solely by his final points tally. There’s a lot of good that can come simply from taking on increased responsibilities, even if the results aren’t there immediately — though it is nice that he produced earlier this season in the minors and was named to the AHL All-Star Classic.
There’s a world where general manager Chris Drury opts to part with some of his more movable pieces ahead of the trade deadline — say Artemi Panarin or Vincent Trocheck, for instance. That could open up more playing time for Perreault, and maybe even a spot on the top power-play unit.
Expectations should be tempered even more-so for Laba, who still realistically projects as a third-line center at this point. Laba injects much-needed youth and speed into this aging Rangers lineup, but it’s far from a catastrophe if the 22-year-old doesn’t exceed bottom-six minutes this season.
Laba averages 13:19 TOI and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 45 games. He’s also won an impressive 51.7 percent of his face-offs and been a responsible 200-foot player. He’s mature beyond his years.
Rookie defenseman Scott Morrow assisted on Laba’s goal, and should see even more power-play time moving forward, to let him play to his strengths in the NHL — at least until Fox returns from LTIR. The 23-year-old has four assists in 20 games with the Rangers, and appears to only now be playing with more confidence.
He could head back to Hartford when Fox returns, as long as the other right-shot d-men — Braden Schneider and Will Borgen remain healthy. His path to regular playing time is murkier than Perreault and Laba.
But even if this season swirls down the drain for the Rangers, the silver lining remains the kids, who appear ready to take on more responsibility now and in the future.
