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

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No points for Gabe yesterday in the back to back BU vs BC game but they won 2-0 (including an EN) so goals were hard to come by.

He did however play by far the most out of all forwards on BC with over 22 minutes of ice, nobody else even had 20 minutes. They are using him all over the place which is great.
 
No points for Gabe yesterday in the back to back BU vs BC game but they won 2-0 (including an EN) so goals were hard to come by.

He did however play by far the most out of all forwards on BC with over 22 minutes of ice, nobody else even had 20 minutes. They are using him all over the place which is great.
He’s still being carried by Will Smith IMO.
 
Honestly, Gabe and his line hasn't looked that great the last few games after the one great game. A lot of his nifty passes haven't been hitting their target, and he seems to be forcing it a little. I'm sure he'll snap out of it and the line will have to figure it out because Leonard's line has been looking great in the same timeframe.
 
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Honestly, Gabe and his line hasn't looked that great the last few games after the one great game. A lot of his nifty passes haven't been hitting their target, and he seems to be forcing it a little. I'm sure he'll snap out of it and the line will have to figure it out because Leonard's line has been looking great in the same timeframe.

I’m glad you posted this because I’ve been thinking the same thing the last few weeks, but was hesitant to post it with how narratives can take off around here.

I have been underwhelmed with Perrault’s game since the line change which to me is significant since this is the first extended stretch in the last 2 years that he hasn’t had one of his NTDP mates on his line. To be clear it isn’t solely an issue with Perrault, Stiga is displaying why he wasn’t a 1st round pick…vision is extremely lacking which is like oil & water w how Perrault plays.

Leonard has had a monster stretch during the same time, but so many of his goals and points are pure individual efforts. He is a man vs boys out there. That isn’t always translatable to the pros (tho in Leonard’s case zero reason to believe it won’t be) - Jimmy Vesey is a great example of a one man show at the NCAA level who’s lack of vision and instincts were exposed at higher levels.

GP is still plenty dangerous but he is not single handedly elevating his line right now. I’m curious to see if he can do that more down the stretch. Gives some credence to the theory that he is likely to be more an excellent Robin than Batman at the next level. Not a bad thing at all, to be clear. Or perhaps I’m over analyzing a small sample size, or a line that just isn’t clicking for whatever reason.
 
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There was like a 3 game stretch before world juniors where the Stiga-Hagens-Perreault line got put together, and I thought they looked fantastic. The line was producing and Leonard's line wasn't doing very much. And now post world juniors I thought the line looked good when they were first put back together (a little snakebit for the most part), but they've definitely looked pretty pedestrian these past couple of weeks. Honestly, not to sure what to make of it, but hopefully just a blip.
 
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I’m glad you posted this because I’ve been thinking the same thing the last few weeks, but was hesitant to post it with how narratives can take off around here.

I have been underwhelmed with Perrault’s game since the line change which to me is significant since this is the first extended stretch in the last 2 years that he hasn’t had one of his NTDP mates on his line. To be clear it isn’t solely an issue with Perrault, Stiga is displaying why he wasn’t a 1st round pick…vision is extremely lacking which is like oil & water w how Perrault plays.

Leonard has had a monster stretch during the same time, but so many of his goals and points are pure individual efforts. He is a man vs boys out there. That isn’t always translatable to the pros (tho in Leonard’s case zero reason to believe it won’t be) - Jimmy Vesey is a great example of a one man show at the NCAA level who’s lack of vision and instincts were exposed at higher levels.

GP is still plenty dangerous but he is not single handedly elevating his line right now. I’m curious to see if he can do that more down the stretch. Gives some credence to the theory that he is likely to be more an excellent Robin than Batman at the next level. Not a bad thing at all, to be clear. Or perhaps I’m over analyzing a small sample size, or a line that just isn’t clicking for whatever reason.
Yeah, it's a fine line to balance and @tiggles has a good summary too. Just as we have valid concerns over Gabe, I have concerns about Leonard too though. A few of his goals lately have been ENs and playing on a line with upper classmen like Jellvik and the size of Gasseau has really opened up room for him. Does his game play, with his size, at the next level? As in, can he play that way without getting himself hurt? At the college level he's taken a beating and to his credit he keeps on getting back up. Also, his shot is just average right now.

I almost brought it up last post, but I will here. Hagens has also been a little hot and cold through the season with both he and Stiga showing the normal freshman blips. He's super talented, has the moves on his stick and can skate but sometimes his decision-making and execution of his final pass/shot aren't there.

Overall, yeah Perreault needs his linemates to find open ice and to have the vision to find him when he's in an advantageous position to receive the puck. He's tried the 'taking on guys one on one' (two, three) and it hasn't worked lately. I wouldn't worry too much though. I mean we are talking about a team that's the no 1 in the country and Gabe, Leonard, Hagens and Stiga are the point leaders on said team so really, we are just using a fine-tooth comb to pick them apart a little bit. Something we don't do with most other prospects (ahem, Cole Huston). In the end, it's probably just the ebbs and flows of the season.
 
I’m glad you posted this because I’ve been thinking the same thing the last few weeks, but was hesitant to post it with how narratives can take off around here.

I have been underwhelmed with Perrault’s game since the line change which to me is significant since this is the first extended stretch in the last 2 years that he hasn’t had one of his NTDP mates on his line. To be clear it isn’t solely an issue with Perrault, Stiga is displaying why he wasn’t a 1st round pick…vision is extremely lacking which is like oil & water w how Perrault plays.

Leonard has had a monster stretch during the same time, but so many of his goals and points are pure individual efforts. He is a man vs boys out there. That isn’t always translatable to the pros (tho in Leonard’s case zero reason to believe it won’t be) - Jimmy Vesey is a great example of a one man show at the NCAA level who’s lack of vision and instincts were exposed at higher levels.

GP is still plenty dangerous but he is not single handedly elevating his line right now. I’m curious to see if he can do that more down the stretch. Gives some credence to the theory that he is likely to be more an excellent Robin than Batman at the next level. Not a bad thing at all, to be clear. Or perhaps I’m over analyzing a small sample size, or a line that just isn’t clicking for whatever reason.
Good post. The only thing I'd add or re-emphasize is that on a relative basis at this level it should be easier for Leonard to produce points compared to Pierreault who needs his partners to read his game and be on the same page. Does not have any correlation to what they'd do in the NHL.

The other thing is - 6-8 games is still a pretty small sample size to have any significant conclusions to be based on.
 
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Leonard is a shoot first winger. It's not that he can't make plays but it's not on the level of Perreault. The question when he turns pro is he's not going to be able to bull his way around like he does in college so he's going to have to adapt his game a bit I think. He has a great and an accurate shot so it might not be too big of an issue.

Perreault's more like an Artemi Panarin. He depends a lot on guile....knowing where his teammates are at all times and he shoots and scores enough to keep goalies honest. His adaptation to the pros will be more physical strength/skating stuff. Both are a lot better than a couple years ago so I'm not sure that's going to be a big issue either. How he might fit into the Rangers roster might be though.

As for BC breaking them up....that's all about spreading out the scoring and FWIW if you think these two guys aren't coming back next year and your team is sitting in the No. 1 position you might want some of these other guys like Stiga building as much confidence as possible for next year. So you put him with Perreault and get some goals out of him.
 
Leonard is a shoot first winger. It's not that he can't make plays but it's not on the level of Perreault. The question when he turns pro is he's not going to be able to bull his way around like he does in college so he's going to have to adapt his game a bit I think. He has a great and an accurate shot so it might not be too big of an issue.

Perreault's more like an Artemi Panarin. He depends a lot on guile....knowing where his teammates are at all times and he shoots and scores enough to keep goalies honest. His adaptation to the pros will be more physical strength/skating stuff. Both are a lot better than a couple years ago so I'm not sure that's going to be a big issue either. How he might fit into the Rangers roster might be though.

As for BC breaking them up....that's all about spreading out the scoring and FWIW if you think these two guys aren't coming back next year and your team is sitting in the No. 1 position you might want some of these other guys like Stiga building as much confidence as possible for next year. So you put him with Perreault and get some goals out of him.
Watching Leonard, you can tell he knows he can bully other teams and he does just that. Uses his size, speed, and shot every chance he gets. You can see the confidence in his game. Someone mentioned that a lot of Leonard's goals are largely individual efforts and I would agree with that from what I've caught of BC.

Leonard is listed at 6', 190 lbs on Elite Prospects so while he's not small, he's also not Ovechkin's size yet. It will take him a handful of years of maturation/physical growth before he's able to do in the NHL what he's doing in college.

Like @kovazub94 said, Perreault relies more on his linemate's reading what he's trying to do. While Perreault is capable of very nifty individual plays, his skills shine when he's playing with these other players who know how to get where they need to be. He hasn't been putting up crazy numbers since coming back from the WJCs, but BC's lines have been mixed up.
 
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Watching Leonard, you can tell he knows he can bully other teams and he does just that. Uses his size, speed, and shot every chance he gets. You can see the confidence in his game. Someone mentioned that a lot of Leonard's goals are largely individual efforts and I would agree with that from what I've caught of BC.

Leonard is listed at 6', 190 lbs on Elite Prospects so while he's not small, he's also not Ovechkin's size yet. It will take him a handful of years of maturation/physical growth before he's able to do in the NHL what he's doing in college.

Like @kovazub94 said, Perreault relies more on his linemate's reading what he's trying to do. While Perreault is capable of very nifty individual plays, his skills shine when he's playing with these other players who know how to get where they need to be. He hasn't been putting up crazy numbers since coming back from the WJCs, but BC's lines have been mixed up.

Leonard is also BC's go to empty net goal scorer. He has 4 this year. For the Caps that's Ovie's job.

Leonard is sometimes a one man show and that's another adaptation he might have to make. You're not going to carry the puck through entire NHL defenses very often. Perreault's game is premised on using his teammates. There's a lot of deception in his game.
 
I love me some Gabe, but methinks he is Drury's biggest chip for landing a true difference maker for this club.

The problem is they dont have the luxury of time with this group they've assembled and Gabe isnt a sure thing at the NHL level.
 
I love me some Gabe, but methinks he is Drury's biggest chip for landing a true difference maker for this club.

The problem is they dont have the luxury of time with this group they've assembled and Gabe isnt a sure thing at the NHL level.
Gabe should absolutely, 100%, be UNTOUCHABLE. Kid is going to be a superstar and really our only projected 1st line player in our system.

We already got a big piece with the Miller trade. Trade lower prospects for a top 4 dman. Get rid of Kreider/Smith/Lindrgren to obtain picks or younger players.

Gabe, Othmann, Fortescue, Laf, Berard, Sykora, Schneider, Fox, Cuylle should all be part of the next core going for a cup in 3-5 years. JT Miller will still be here to lead with Trocheck, and obviously Igor.
 
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I love me some Gabe, but methinks he is Drury's biggest chip for landing a true difference maker for this club.

The problem is they dont have the luxury of time with this group they've assembled and Gabe isnt a sure thing at the NHL level.

I don't think so.

I think there will be a spot for him to slide into here next season. Cheap, ELC top 6/9 help is going to be necessary.
 
Drury has never traded a prospect of note so I am unsure why people think he's going to trade his only blue chipper. The only guy who might give him pause is Brady T, but getting JT Miller maybe have mitigated the desire to add another guy in that mold.
 
Drury has never traded a prospect of note so I am unsure why people think he's going to trade his only blue chipper. The only guy who might give him pause is Brady T, but getting JT Miller maybe have mitigated the desire to add another guy in that mold.
You don't think he'd be on the table if Fox's next partner was available?
 

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