We’ll see. He should definitely turn pro, if he’s not ready for the NHL, AHL is fine. But shifty smart players like him tend to adapt way earlier in the bigs than guys who rely on physicality, driving to the net, board work, etc.
caveat here for me is that yes shifty smart skilled players can adjust to the NHL game quickly IF they have ++ skating. Cromulent though Perreault might be in this regard, he's no Quinn Hughes. It will be tough for him to find the kind of space he's used to.
Secondly, the reason a lot of young skilled star prospects appear to flourish early in their careers is because their deployment is conducive to point production - top line/PP1 minutes, opportunities to play with the teams other most skilled guys, etc.
As we've seen with Laf and Kakko, those opportunities are far from a given on this team. This isn't a rebuilding squad. There will be an expectation of at minimum below-average defensive play. We already have 1 line that gives up almost as much as it produces.
in theory, an AHL stint would cement these expectations and integrate GP to the speed and physicality of the game as it's played by men earning their keep, while also giving him the place to be Top Dawg and build crucial confidence.
Or, y'know, he comes in like fox and wins ROY with a 19-48-67 season.
