Top Prospect Gabe Perreault Has Arrived To Give The Rangers Playoff Lives One Last Jolt
In a perfect world, the Rangers would be comfortably locked into a playoff spot while their top prospect Gabriel Perreault was resting up for another Frozen Four. There would be no immediate concern as to if/when he'd sign his ELC or talks of burning his first pro year now as opposed to letting his eventual contract kick in for the '25-26 season. He'd then win an NCAA title, the Blueshirts would hoist the Cup a couple months later and we'd all live happily ever after.
Instead of a perfect world, we're living in a borderline nightmare with last year's Presidents' Trophy winners looking up at the baby Habs for the final Eastern wild card spot with just two weeks left and a slew of mediocrity nipping at their heels, poised to play leapfrog. On top of that, with the BC Eagles season cut short of an April Frozen Four appearance, Gabe Perreault is free to be an NHLer and he wants to be one right now. After putting pen to paper, Perreault's first contract year will be over in a flash sending fans into a frenzy as to whether burning a year is worth it.
Well first, yeah his first contract year will be torched but it won't bring him any closer to unrestricted free agency (and leverage for their first major payday), which is usually the biggest negative associated with prospects who sign their entry-level deals as a teenager. This is why you'll see young prospects start a season with their pro team but won't get to that magic 10th game that makes it an officially accrued pro season. Instead, teams will send them down & "slide" their contract so it doesn't kick in until the following year. It's different though for kids who sign right after their college seasons end. If they don't play 10 regular season games their contracts can't slide, but their first year doesn't count as an official accrued pro season - and you need 7 of those before becoming an unrestricted free agent. There's only 8 tilts left on the Rangers schedule so it's a non-issue. Perreault's UFA year won't be until 2032 regardless.
Fans have to understand hockey is a business first & foremost. Organizations exist to make money. Players play to make money. The Rangers are still, somewhat impossibly, square in the mix for a wild card spot. In a major market like NY that'd be a big financial win. Plus, despite how awful this season has been, this is by & large the same squad that won a Presidents' Trophy & was 2 games away from a Cup Final less than a year ago. I'm sure there's still belief in that room of "get in, get hot and who knows". Getting a boost from a young offensive talent could be exactly what this squad needs as the spark that helps them clinch. So when your top prospect's NCAA season ends prematurely and he says he wants to sign & play immediately, it's perfectly logical for the Blueshirts to welcome him aboard instead of creating any animosity. Remember, just like Adam Fox did, college kids can just stay in school and eventually become free agents to sign wherever they please - or at least use that leverage to force a trade. Obviously that's not the situation New York wants to create for themselves.
The Rangers are in desperate need of new blood. New creativity. It's unfair to throw that burden on a 19 year-old who had class earlier today but Perreault is talented enough to be that difference-maker. I'm not guaranteeing he's an immediate superstar, but not many teams have an option like him this late in the year and no team needs it more. He's been a go-to guy for the highest stakes available to an American collegiate hockey player, whether it be repping BC in the national championship a year ago or donning a USA sweater for back-to-back WJC gold. While there's nothing like NHL playoff hockey - and this final stretch is already playoffs for the Blueshirts - it's impossible to be more prepared than Perreault.
Size & skating issues are what allowed him to fall into the laps of the Rangers at #23 in the 2023 NHL draft, but Perreault is easily among the best in his class with his vision, playmaking & hockey IQ. That combination sure sounds a lot like another Blueshirt & it's worked out pretty damn well with Foxy. It's been an absolute dog shit season but somehow the playoffs are still attainable and now one of hockey's most skilled prospects is jumping onboard as soon as their next game Wednesday to help get them there. Forget where they "should be", accept where they are and realize this is as exciting as we can ask for down the stretch.
VIVA LA BLUESHIRTS!!!