Draft Round 1 #23: New York Rangers Select RW Gabriel Perreault (Boston College, NCAA)

[Kovalev27]

You can’t complain when the team takes home run swings in the bottom half of the first round. I think it’s nuts he lasted to 23 with what he did and the guys picked ahead of him. Legit future 4th liners multiple ones drafted ahead. 6’5 gangly guys that will never be forwards in the nhl. Dumb league. Great pick skating issues aside. Can’t wait to see him at BC

 

[NYRKing]

The Guenzel comparison is spot on.

Off the bat we’ve been great getting value In the latter half of the first round, but this was a no brainer.

It’s funny watching people pick a part the tools vs tool box. It’s the ultimate crapshoot. There’s fox’s and there’s Kreiders. I’m this case, I’m ok taking a chance on a guy who broke Matthews scoring record and is connected to one of our assistants.

 

[Gordon Bombay]

At 23 this is a very smart pick. He's productive and highly skilled. When you watch him he naturally goes to places scorers go and he finishes. How you get there doesn't matter as much as what you do when you arrive. Skating can be improved. 5'11 is 6 ft eventually and that's plenty big enough.

High upside player who seems to understand the game at 18. Hard to be down on this pick. Kid can play.

When did you start typing with capitals?

 

[MrAlmost]

Excited for today, but still like this pick. Another thing I was thinking last night, if he busts, he busts. It happens. The problem is when a player busts that you took that was a total reach. We took the BPA and at least down the line if he doesn't reach his potential you cant look back and think, Oh man what were they thinking reaching for that guy. That's the part that always feel bad.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Sounds a lot like Phil Kessel. Would that be a good comparison?

 

[TGWL]

This guys skating is NOT bad at all. In fact it’s GOOD. Its just not at the same elevated level as his other physical and mental skills, so you can call it his least strong asset, but his other assets are off the charts so…
The “can’t skate” narrative is just plain WRONG here. It’s just a bad take. He’s better than Fox and WAY better than Stepan. And there’s no reason it can’t get even better at BC. This kid looks two years younger than Smith and Leonard he’s going to physically mature and will have plenty of opportunity to improve.
The more I look into this pick, the more thrilled I am.

Stepan's speed was a major issue as the years went on for him. And Fox wouldn't make it as a forward with his skating speed. Fox isn't a bad skater though, he's just not a very fast, or an explosive skater. No point in comparing any forward to them because that's going to be setting the bar very low.

The NHL skating level is the best it's ever been. Perreault will need to find a little more power and explosiveness in his strides. But like you said, he has time to do it without being thrown directly into the NHL. I don't think most are calling him a very bad skater, but rather can recognize that it'll have to improve a bit over the next few years.

 

[Synergy27]

The Guenzel comparison is spot on.

Off the bat we’ve been great getting value In the latter half of the first round, but this was a no brainer.

It’s funny watching people pick a part the tools vs tool box. It’s the ultimate crapshoot. There’s fox’s and there’s Kreiders. I’m this case, I’m ok taking a chance on a guy who broke Matthews scoring record and is connected to one of our assistants.

He is much more skilled than Guentzel. Like a lot more skilled.

Alex Tanguay.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Ha, Perreault is technically from the Q! xD

We got Laffy a buddy!

my short pre-draft write-up:

Gabe Perreault – USA – RW - PLY; top 6, played all year with Will Smith and Ryan Leonard, (complemented) them greatly. Passing is off the charts; dangling, shot, offense are all very solid. A little bit of a size issue maybe. Speed is lacking just a bit. Looks to be very disciplined.

 

[Crease]

I think fans are just hypersensitive to skating issues, in light of Lafreniere. Rightfully so, but you’re not getting a perfect player at 23 and Perreault’s aggregate skill set was the best of the bunch there.

 

[JHS]

I mean he kept up with Will Smith and Ryan Leonard, and led that line in points. He averaged more than 2 points a game. Scored some big goals too; not just a pass first winger. There are much smaller players than he is and none of them has his offensive upside. At 23 you take that chance. Again, who was better at 23 that was on the board? No he’s not a perfect skater, but this player goes like top 12 if he is. You aren’t getting a perfect prospect at 23

Very true about the not perfect prospect. Here’s I guess my major doubt. I see aspects of everyone of our last several picks that did not pan out in this guy.

Krav- “well he puts up points, has great hands, some doubts about his overall game.” He busted.

Kappo- “Maybe a bit too slow but has great hockey IQ.”

Laf- “dominated competition looked like he could not be stopped, maybe a bit too slow.”

I think all of these descriptions are pretty accurate and none of them made or are making a meaningful difference in the NHL. So if you combine all these guys together it seems you have this years first overall pick but with the added fact that he’s “small.”

Again I don’t doubt he was capable in juniors but all these kids were. It’s about how they translate into NHL players that matters.

 

[TGWL]

We should have found some trades to get that entire line.

 

[TheBPA]

People say you can't teach speed. Wrong. Plenty of NHL players have improved their speed and skating from when they were drafted to where they are now. Doesn't mean that everyone can do it, but for a 5"11 young kid who just put on 27 pounds of muscle over the past year to get up to 165, I'm willing to bet he can do it.

What you can't teach, is hockey IQ and processing speed on the ice. Most experts say that Perreault's is the best in the draft. What more can you ask for?

 

[Fitzy]

To be fair the skating trauma here isn't exclusive to Laf. From Andersson, Kravtsov, Kakko, Laf, we've rolled the dice on a lot of high picks who aren't speedy.

If it was anyone else than the BPA I'd be pissed. But it was the BPA

 

[Savant]

Very true about the not perfect prospect. Here’s I guess my major doubt. I see aspects of everyone of our last several picks that did not pan out in this guy.

Krav- “well he puts up points, has great hands, some doubts about his overall game.” He busted.

Kappo- “Maybe a bit too slow but has great hockey IQ.”

Laf- “dominated competition looked like he could not be stopped, maybe a bit too slow.”

I think all of these descriptions are pretty accurate and none of them made or are making a meaningful difference in the NHL. So if you combine all these guys together it seems you have this years first overall pick but with the added fact that he’s “small.”

Again I don’t doubt he was capable in juniors but all these kids were. It’s about how they translate into NHL players that matters.

Kravtsov was a top 10 pick. Kakko and Lafreniere were top two picks. Perreault was picked 23rd. There is a difference.

The Rangers didn’t exactly get suckered on Lafreniere or Kakko. I am okay with Kakko. He actually a very useful player that Has a habit of making his lines better (except he can’t play with Panarin). he will never get any love because he was picked 2nd but he is going to be a useful NHL player for a long time. Think he winds up with a very Nino Niederreiter (who was also a top five pick) kind of career. Also there is not a single team that wouldn’t have picked him second, but he is always going to be wrongfully compared with Hughes.

Lafreniere is a different story. He doesn’t have any NHL level physical tools. He’s a bust. Never draft early from the Q is the lesson there. But again, the majority of teams would have taken him first. I would have rolled the dice on Byfield. I liked Stutzle but he comes to the Rangers and he is probably in the same situation as Lafreniere where he is 3LW and not getting PP time; BUT Stutzle has better physical tools.

Kravtsov was a Bobrov special and everyone knew that pick was bad.

When you are picking 23, sure - roll the dice on the kid averaging more than 2 points a game that needs to improve his skating. All I’m saying is I don’t think there was anyone better on the board at 23

 

[will1066]

I had a nightmare that in 2038, Gabriel Perreault re-signs with the Rangers at age 32, looking like Toby Flenderson, on a one-year deal as the fourth-line support center.

 

[huerter]

Very true about the not perfect prospect. Here’s I guess my major doubt. I see aspects of everyone of our last several picks that did not pan out in this guy.

Krav- “well he puts up points, has great hands, some doubts about his overall game.” He busted.

Kappo- “Maybe a bit too slow but has great hockey IQ.”

Laf- “dominated competition looked like he could not be stopped, maybe a bit too slow.”

I think all of these descriptions are pretty accurate and none of them made or are making a meaningful difference in the NHL. So if you combine all these guys together it seems you have this years first overall pick but with the added fact that he’s “small.”

Again I don’t doubt he was capable in juniors but all these kids were. It’s about how they translate into NHL players that matters.

Wembenyama - skinny

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

His father Yanic topped out at 5 11", 185. He was more of a marksmen who didnt have great skating ability either. He's also been a coach at several levels of play and is currently the Blackhawks Developmental coach. Hell be working with Bedard and Moore. He has another son in the NHL. He's a good teacher.

Currently, Gabe is listed at 5"11 165 so hell be in that same region.

He's the skinny guy in Nintendo Ice Hockey, but without the wheels

For me though its about 4 things with this pick

1. At 23 - even in a deep draft, it was very unlikely a game breaking talent would fall that far. This kid broke the USDP points record, so its safe to say he could be that type of player. There was other talent on the board, but all things being equal guys like Ritchie and Musty who were available also had question marks about their skating. Last I checked those two werent breaking records like Gabe did. Take the shot at it.

2. He's coming from a great program in the USDP. You just hired his head coach Dan Muse, who I'm sure put his stamp of approval on this pick. That's intimate knowledge of a players work habits and off-ice attitude, etc. Coming from an NHL family (see above) doesnt hurt either.

3. He plays RW. A spot the Rangers are so thin at. You dont usually see the Rangers draft for need. Here, you get the BPA and he also happens to be a position of need.

4. Adam Fox. What separates him is his intelligence. We've all seen it, hes literally head, shoulders and chin above everyone in that regard. Perreault has that Datsyukian quality to him. Those types of players figure it out, even with their physical limitations. I think that's the clincher with this pick for me. He's there, hes dropped - but you know the kid has a super hockey IQ. Imagine Perreault on the PP half wall in 3 years dishing it to Fox and vice versa. That could be a very deceptive/lethal combination. Their brains could literally explode PK structures.

 

[JHS]

Kravtsov was a top 10 pick. Kakko and Lafreniere were top two picks. Perreault was picked 23rd. There is a difference.

The Rangers didn’t exactly get suckered on Lafreniere or Kakko. I am okay with Kakko. He actually a very useful player that Has a habit of making his lines better (except he can’t play with Panarin). he will never get any love because he was picked 2nd but he is going to be a useful NHL player for a long time. Think he winds up with a very Nino Niederreiter (who was also a top five pick) kind of career. Also there is not a single team that wouldn’t have picked him second, but he is always going to be wrongfully compared with Hughes.

Lafreniere is a different story. He doesn’t have any NHL level physical tools. He’s a bust. Never draft early from the Q is the lesson there. But again, the majority of teams would have taken him first. I would have rolled the dice on Byfield. I liked Stutzle but he comes to the Rangers and he is probably in the same situation as Lafreniere where he is 3LW and not getting PP time; BUT Stutzle has better physical tools.

Kravtsov was a Bobrov special and everyone knew that pick was bad.

When you are picking 23, sure - roll the dice on the kid averaging more than 2 points a game that needs to improve his skating. All I’m saying is I don’t think there was anyone better on the board at 23

Don’t you kind of argue against yourself when you say “Laf had no NHL level physical tools” and then a guy with seemingly less NHL physical tools is who you are trying to defend? I mean I get your point but it’s kind of furthering my two main points, NHL physical tools are very important and it’s not the points you are putting up it’s the competition you are playing against, that should be evaluated when considering those point productions.

 

[bhamill]

Perrault is a “good” skater. His skating is nothing special but he is not bad. At all. At 5-11 and 165-170 he’s not exactly tiny either. He was picked at 23. If his skating was excellent or he was 6’2” already he’d have gone top 10. If his skating was elite or he was 6’4” he’d have gone top 5. He was BY FAR the BPA at our pick. It’s an excellent pick. When all is said and done he will probably be an average sized NHLer with average or a bit better NHL speed, with an excellent shot, elite passing, elite hockey IQ. and elite work ethic. I’ll take it… Can’t wait to see the expectations this board puts on a 23OA pick. We’re so used to roasting Laf and Kakko for being disappointing relative to their draft position, and we are already damning this kid by comparison to that disappointment. However if they were each a 23rd pick we’d be psyched about their success so far.

 

[Savant]

Don’t you kind of argue against yourself when you say “Laf had no NHL level physical tools” and then a guy with seemingly less NHL physical tools is who you are trying to defend? I mean I get your point but it’s kind of furthering my two main points, NHL physical tools are very important and it’s not the points you are putting up it’s the competition you are playing against, that should be evaluated when considering those point productions.

Lafreniere went 1

Perreault went 23

There is a difference.

I wouldn’t have taken the player at 1 without the tools. At 23, I can roll the dice.

Or to say this another way, if Lafreniere had gone 23; would people be as disappointed with his production? If Lafreniere had gone 23 the narrative around him is a lot different, isn’t it?

 

[bhamill]

Don’t you kind of argue against yourself when you say “Laf had no NHL level physical tools” and then a guy with seemingly less NHL physical tools is who you are trying to defend? I mean I get your point but it’s kind of furthering my two main points, NHL physical tools are very important and it’s not the points you are putting up it’s the competition you are playing against, that should be evaluated when considering those point productions.

He was playing against the same competition as Leonard and Smith. He’s a 23OA pick. It was a no brainer.

 

[JHS]

Lafreniere went 1

Perreault went 23

There is a difference.

I wouldn’t have taken the player at 1 without the tools. At 23, I can roll the dice

My point is about the attributes of the player- not when they were picked. If the attributes are similar then I would expect that the outcome would be similar. I don’t see that as a leap- of course these are people so no one can definitively say the outcomes will be the same but I hope you get where I am coming from.

 

[bhamill]

Lafreniere went 1

Perreault went 23

There is a difference.

I wouldn’t have taken the player at 1 without the tools. At 23, I can roll the dice.

Or to say this another way, if Lafreniere had gone 23; would people be as disappointed with his production?

Made that same point about Laf and Kakko. The gripes are about succes IN RELATION to draft position.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I have not seen near enough game film on this guy but the more clips I see the more optimistic I am. Some guys who went much higher only have a few really nice plays on clip. This guy shows a lot more. I think our team is in a real need for speed but this guy seems to think quicker than other guys. He also pulls away from other guys so maybe his skating knock is overblown. If he pulls away from other guys than he has to have some quickness even if its not traditionally pretty. I'm actually impressed. That is all you want to be able to say when drafting at #23.

 

[Guyute]

Hockey sense >>>> size, skill, speed.

Fox, Marchessault, Draisatl, and countless other players hammer this point home. Gretzky even claims he had to out-think his opponents because he wasn't the biggest or the fastest player.

Laf and Kakko are too busy playing Panarin style fancy boy hockey to get it going.

Nils Lundqvist, unlike Fox, doesn't have the hockey IQ to make up for his stature and skating ability.