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

[GoAwayPanarin]

Yeah saying you’re more comfortable on one side is not saying that you refuse to play the other or are uncomfortable there.

 

[Synergy27]

source please

he's also openly stated he'll play wherever they want him to

Yeah. Perhaps I’m misremembering here or just reading too much into how that situation played out.

 

[EpicDing]

Wheeler has Perrault as his #15 drafted prospect.

15. Gabe Perreault, LW, 18 (New York Rangers — No. 23, 2023)​

I’ve stuck my neck out on Perreault for a year and I’m prepared to hold firm with my evaluation here, too. Eventually, when the points pile up like they did, and they happen making the kinds of plays that he did, you can’t ignore them. Say what you will, he’s now the NTDP’s single-season points record holder. He didn’t even pass Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes by a narrow margin when it was all said and done, either. There are many who’ve settled lower on Perreault because of the combination of his skinny frame (though he looked stronger all four times I bumped into him over the course of this season at the rink), the linemates he played with, and perceived questions about his skating.

I see a clever-beyond-belief facilitator and playmaker who plays the game with a light touch and a heady spatial awareness of not only where his teammates are, but where he is in the flow of play (and relative to defenders). The son of longtime NHLer Yanic Perreault and brother of Ducks prospect Jacob, Gabe doesn’t have his dad’s defensive acumen or his brother’s build (he’s listed at 165 pounds now), but he’s an intuitive, highly intelligent player who sees the play develop offensively at a more advanced level than his two family members did/do — and than almost anybody on this list does. He’s got extremely quick hands to complement that mind for the game offensively and allow him to execute the plays he sees. He problem-solves his way out of trouble as well as just about anyone on this list, too. He’s got dexterous tools catching, tipping and redirecting pucks. He arrives into space at exactly the right times to make himself available and finish plays. His ability to bait defenders and open them up so that he can slide passes through their feet is so impressive. He gets shots off extremely fast and without bobbles in catch-and-release sequences. He plans things out on the ice at speed and then finds ways to make his desired play. He’s a slick one-on-one player but will also wait that extra split second and then just sling a pass tape-to-tape across the grain. He has become a bit of a puck thief, consistently tracking back hard to empty the tank and make effort plays on lifts.

And he’s a better skater than he gets credit for, with above-average speed for my money and room to add power and pick up another step as he gets stronger. Because of his genetics, he should add the necessary weight and strength eventually. With the proper patience, I expect he’ll become a skilled playmaking winger

 

[Synergy27]

Wheeler has Perrault as his #15 drafted prospect.

I’m bordering on Ed Jovo levels of stupidity when it comes to my excitement for this kid, but read that scouting report and tell me it’s not something you would have seen written about #99 in 1978.

I don’t think this kid is going to come in and be a HOFer or anything, but I maintain that he’s going to be a really, really good player and we got incredibly lucky he fell to us.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I’m bordering on Ed Jovo levels of stupidity when it comes to my excitement for this kid, but read that scouting report and tell me it’s not something you would have seen written about #99 in 1978.

I don’t think this kid is going to come in and be a HOFer or anything, but I maintain that he’s going to be a really, really good player and we got incredibly lucky he fell to us.

Easily the steal of the draft right now.

We will see how it shakes out but if this kid hits his ceiling (that is one incredibly glowing report from Wheeler) theres no reason not to believe he will be a surefire top 6 NHL player. With his toolset, possibly elite.

Would be kind of ironic with the history of Rangers luck in drafting top of the draft forwards.

However, as we know - he will need to be given the opportunity to develop. Hopefully things fall into the right place roster-wise for him to be allowed that chance and time.

But it could also be a case of stealing it away from someone else, if hes good enough. I kinda get that vibe with Perreault.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Wheeler has Perrault as his #15 drafted prospect.

For the doom and gloom crowd who jumped off a cliff because they thought he was a bad skater... this is the largest font I can use. I am going to inquire with Admins to see if I can get this plastered at the top of our HFNYR page.

"And he’s a better skater than he gets credit for, with above-average speed for my money and room to add power and pick up another step as he gets stronger. Because of his genetics, he should add the necessary weight and strength eventually. With the proper patience, I expect he’ll become a skilled playmaking winger."

 

[duhmetreE]

Panarin's replacement.

The top9 in 3 years.

Laffy Zibs Kakko
Perreaut Chytil Othmann
Kreider Trocheck Sykora

 

[mas0764]

Panarin's replacement.

The top9 in 3 years.

Laffy Zibs Kakko
Perreaut Chytil Othmann
Kreider Trocheck Sykora

You have to swallow hard to foresee that top 9 center depth being a real plus on a Cup contender in 3 years. Zibanejad and Trocheck will have declined, possibly substantially.

The biggest coup we could pull off would be finding a way to flip Panarin, Trouba, or Kreider for a young stud center or the pick to select one at some point in the next 2 seasons.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

If anyone is interested in seeing how he played today. They lost 7-0 but I heard he wasn't terrible out there. I don't have time to watch a 17 minute video.

 

[B17 Apricots]

You have to swallow hard to foresee that top 9 center depth being a real plus on a Cup contender in 3 years. Zibanejad and Trocheck will have declined, possibly substantially.

The biggest coup we could pull off would be finding a way to flip Panarin, Trouba, or Kreider for a young stud center or the pick to select one at some point in the next 2 seasons.

That's the bear case though.. the flipside to that is the bull case where you could say look at all the other elite players that are excelling well into their 30s. Some guys fall off a cliff around there but there's plenty of players that maintain the same high level of play. Pavelski, Tavares, Giroux, Stamkos, Kopitar.. you could go on and on. Zibanejad has played himself into that grouping of players. Obviously the big question will be does he age like some of the players above, or is it something like Brad Richard's where they hit those early 30s and they're still effective but no longer one of those top go-to guys. So unless you have a copious supply of DMT then it'll be hard to predict the future there. He turned 30 this year, underwhelming playoffs but he had a career year so the signs are positive for now.

As for Trocheck it's not as significant. In 3 years the cap should be up nicely. His cap hit will a bit closer to 3rd line money. The NMC changes to a 12 team no-trade clause. By then Trocheck should no longer be looked at for +18 mins a night. As long as he can still be a thorn, competent defensively, and kill it on the dot, then his ideal role should be as a match up guy on the 3rd line. At 34 Backlund is still an effective player.

Chytil's a wild card. Again, unless you have some DMT, we have no idea what kind of player he ends up as. Comparatively we know as a 24/25 year old Zibanejad had 47 in 72 games. That was the season where they had just moved Stepan and gave the keys to Zib and Hayes. He also had another +45 point season and a +50 point year under his belt at that point. Scoring was different but his usage was much higher comparatively. Chytil at 23 is coming off 45 in 74 games where he played less than 15 minutes a game. At 27 we've seen Buchnevich and JT Miller become top line players as well. Chytil has all the tools. I think he's a safe bet to be a solid top 6 forward at this point. It's tricky to say who or when a player may take their game to that elite category. Chytil is certainly trending in the right direction now though. In 3 years, as a 27 year old in his prime, who knows.

That's the bull case. I wouldn't necessarily lean one way or another but I do agree with you, that they need to hang on to some picks, draft some actual talent and continue to keep a pipeline of prospects to the big league

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

You have to swallow hard to foresee that top 9 center depth being a real plus on a Cup contender in 3 years. Zibanejad and Trocheck will have declined, possibly substantially.

The biggest coup we could pull off would be finding a way to flip Panarin, Trouba, or Kreider for a young stud center or the pick to select one at some point in the next 2 seasons.

Lol we can have 20 picks in the first round and we would select 13 wingers, 5 dmen, and 2 goalies.

 

[RangersFan1994]

If anyone is interested in seeing how he played today. They lost 7-0 but I heard he wasn't terrible out there. I don't have time to watch a 17 minute video.

Are these games on NHL Network? Didnt they show these types of games?

 

[IDvsEGO]

That's the bear case though.. the flipside to that is the bull case where you could say look at all the other elite players that are excelling well into their 30s. Some guys fall off a cliff around there but there's plenty of players that maintain the same high level of play. Pavelski, Tavares, Giroux, Stamkos, Kopitar.. you could go on and on. Zibanejad has played himself into that grouping of players. Obviously the big question will be does he age like some of the players above, or is it something like Brad Richard's where they hit those early 30s and they're still effective but no longer one of those top go-to guys. So unless you have a copious supply of DMT then it'll be hard to predict the future there. He turned 30 this year, underwhelming playoffs but he had a career year so the signs are positive for now.

As for Trocheck it's not as significant. In 3 years the cap should be up nicely. His cap hit will a bit closer to 3rd line money. The NMC changes to a 12 team no-trade clause. By then Trocheck should no longer be looked at for +18 mins a night. As long as he can still be a thorn, competent defensively, and kill it on the dot, then his ideal role should be as a match up guy on the 3rd line. At 34 Backlund is still an effective player.

Chytil's a wild card. Again, unless you have some DMT, we have no idea what kind of player he ends up as. Comparatively we know as a 24/25 year old Zibanejad had 47 in 72 games. That was the season where they had just moved Stepan and gave the keys to Zib and Hayes. He also had another +45 point season and a +50 point year under his belt at that point. Scoring was different but his usage was much higher comparatively. Chytil at 23 is coming off 45 in 74 games where he played less than 15 minutes a game. At 27 we've seen Buchnevich and JT Miller become top line players as well. Chytil has all the tools. I think he's a safe bet to be a solid top 6 forward at this point. It's tricky to say who or when a player may take their game to that elite category. Chytil is certainly trending in the right direction now though. In 3 years, as a 27 year old in his prime, who knows.

That's the bull case. I wouldn't necessarily lean one way or another but I do agree with you, that they need to hang on to some picks, draft some actual talent and continue to keep a pipeline of prospects to the big league

This board doesn't allow for optimism though. We're only getting worse, never better.

 

[Alluckks]

I am now an avid Gabriel Perreault supporter

 

[RangersFan1994]

You have to swallow hard to foresee that top 9 center depth being a real plus on a Cup contender in 3 years. Zibanejad and Trocheck will have declined, possibly substantially.

The biggest coup we could pull off would be finding a way to flip Panarin, Trouba, or Kreider for a young stud center or the pick to select one at some point in the next 2 seasons.

Kreider will be the last guy I would trade. At least he shows up in the playoffs. Kreider for all his regular season inconsistent play at times, everyone goes through that, he does score in the playoffs and one of the few willing to go in front of the net to score goals. Kreider is not that pricey for what he brings.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Gabe with a goal and assist so far in todays game. 3-1 USA half way through.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Gabe with a goal and assist so far in todays game. 3-1 USA half way through.

I wish NHL network or some streaming site had these games

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Game is over, USA Blue won 4-1. Guess he had a good game, hopefully we can find the highlights at some point tonight.

 

[Synergy27]

Gabe with a goal and assist so far in todays game. 3-1 USA half way through.

What tournament is happening right now?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

What tournament is happening right now?

World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan (27 July-4 Aug) They had one game already and got destroyed 7-0 vs Sweden.

 

[Synergy27]

World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan (27 July-4 Aug) They had one game already and got destroyed 7-0 vs Sweden.

Ah. I saw the 7-0 drubbing and was having a hard time squaring that with Gabe having 1 and 1. Looks like two days of games in the books already.

 

[nyr2k2]

Ah. I saw the 7-0 drubbing and was having a hard time squaring that with Gabe having 1 and 1. Looks like two days of games in the books already.

They play every two days. Two games left.

2023 World Junior Summer Showcase

teamusa.usahockey.com

 

[duhmetreE]

That's the bear case though.. the flipside to that is the bull case where you could say look at all the other elite players that are excelling well into their 30s. Some guys fall off a cliff around there but there's plenty of players that maintain the same high level of play. Pavelski, Tavares, Giroux, Stamkos, Kopitar.. you could go on and on. Zibanejad has played himself into that grouping of players. Obviously the big question will be does he age like some of the players above, or is it something like Brad Richard's where they hit those early 30s and they're still effective but no longer one of those top go-to guys. So unless you have a copious supply of DMT then it'll be hard to predict the future there. He turned 30 this year, underwhelming playoffs but he had a career year so the signs are positive for now.

As for Trocheck it's not as significant. In 3 years the cap should be up nicely. His cap hit will a bit closer to 3rd line money. The NMC changes to a 12 team no-trade clause. By then Trocheck should no longer be looked at for +18 mins a night. As long as he can still be a thorn, competent defensively, and kill it on the dot, then his ideal role should be as a match up guy on the 3rd line. At 34 Backlund is still an effective player.

Chytil's a wild card. Again, unless you have some DMT, we have no idea what kind of player he ends up as. Comparatively we know as a 24/25 year old Zibanejad had 47 in 72 games. That was the season where they had just moved Stepan and gave the keys to Zib and Hayes. He also had another +45 point season and a +50 point year under his belt at that point. Scoring was different but his usage was much higher comparatively. Chytil at 23 is coming off 45 in 74 games where he played less than 15 minutes a game. At 27 we've seen Buchnevich and JT Miller become top line players as well. Chytil has all the tools. I think he's a safe bet to be a solid top 6 forward at this point. It's tricky to say who or when a player may take their game to that elite category. Chytil is certainly trending in the right direction now though. In 3 years, as a 27 year old in his prime, who knows.

That's the bull case. I wouldn't necessarily lean one way or another but I do agree with you, that they need to hang on to some picks, draft some actual talent and continue to keep a pipeline of prospects to the big league

Can't worry about too far ahead. IMO I look at 2-3 year windows. Anything further and there's just too many variables.

We went from having 0 RHD to Trouba, Fox and ADA in an offseason. Things can change very fast.

Issue isn't Center per se. It's top paid players pulling their own weight.... If they don't, the kids need to take their spots or someone else needs to be given those opportunities. No team will win if their top earners are getting blanked.

 

[17futurecap]

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Nice release