Gabe Perreault Had Glowing Remarks for 2 Helpful NY Rangers Vets

This offseason is going to be an incredibly important one for the New York Rangers.

Coming off a disappointing 2025-26 season in which they missed the playoffs for a second straight year, it is clear that areas of the roster need to be upgraded. The Rangers are going to be on the lookout for a top-six forward to pair with the players they already have in place.

Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere and J.T. Miller are locked into three of those spots. Another player who should also receive top-six playing time is Gabe Perreault, who had a stellar rookie campaign with New York.

He is the highest-upside forward currently in the organization; of course, that may change depending on who the Rangers select with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. But it is clear that Perreault has top-six potential, and he credits some of his veteran teammates for helping bring that out of him.

Gabe Perreault credits Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere for helping him

“It was really fun,” he said, in reference to being moved to the top line by head coach Mike Sullivan to join Zibanejad and Lafreniere, via Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required). “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with those guys. I learned a lot. Mika was unbelievable. The whole year, he mentored me, and obviously Laf, I became pretty close with them. … Playing with those guys made it easier on me.”

The 2025-26 campaign got off to a slow start for Perreault, who was sent back to the minor leagues at one point. But, upon his return to New York, he certainly looked the part of a high-scoring forward.

In the second half of the season, he was elevated to the top line, and the rest is history. He played at an incredibly high level, drawing comparisons to Philadelphia Flyers star Trevor Zegras and Calgary Flames standout Jonathan Huberdeau.

Should Perreault get close to producing at the levels that they have in their careers, the Rangers will be thrilled. Scouts and evaluators believe that he has point-per-game potential, which is a high standard to live up to.

But, he certainly looks capable of playing at such a level. In 49 games, he recorded 27 points, scoring 12 goals and handing out 15 assists with a 0 plus/minus. He also added 22 blocks and 25 hits, providing some two-way play from the forward spot.

However, his production truly took off down the stretch once the line change occurred. Over the final 23 games of the season, he scored nine goals and handed out 10 assists. He scored goals in each of the final two games of the season and recorded his first hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings on April 4.

The future certainly looks bright for Perreault as a top-six building block for New York.