Gabe Perreault Could Benefit From Being on NY Rangers Second Line

New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan has some tough lineup decisions to make.

Mar 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault (94) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the goals that the New York Rangers had coming into the 2026 NHL offseason was to upgrade their group of top-six forwards, and they achieved that.

Their biggest move of the summer was acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights. Three draft picks, including two first-round picks, were sent to the Golden Knights for the restricted free agent, whom the Rangers immediately signed to a long-term contract extension.

In free agency, New York made a shrewd move, signing winger Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year deal. Both additions should be part of the Rangers’ top six on opening night unless another move is made this offseason.

With new talent, head coach Mike Sullivan will have some decisions to make. There is one player that fans are curious to see where he lands in the lineup: Gabe Perreault.

Who will be Gabe Perreault's linemates?

Mar 23, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault (94) at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Viewed as one of the few top-six prospects in the organization, Perreault really came on near the end of the 2025-26 season. Over the final 23 games of the season, he was nearly a point-per-game player, scoring nine goals and handing out 10 assists.

New York showed some real signs of life and progress down the stretch, going 11-10-2 over that stretch, a massive improvement over their season-long production. One of the reasons for that success was Perreault finding chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere as his linemates.

Given how productive that trio was, it comes as no surprise that some Rangers fans would like to see them on the same line again at the start of the 2026-27 season. They could certainly operate as the first line, with Dorofeyev, Bjorkstrand and J.T. Miller running the second line.

Sullivan will certainly have his hands full making decisions, but given the seven-year, $11 million extension that Dorofeyev signed, it is hard to envision him not being on the first line with Zibanejad, likely with Lafreniere on the right wing.

While some fans will be disappointed by that, it might actually be what is best for Perreault. As shared by Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required), the young winger actually had better metrics when playing alongside Miller compared to Zibanejad.

Gabe Perreault can benefit from being on Rangers' second line

Jan 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson (second from right) celebrates with Will Borgen (17) and Gabe Perreault (94) and Mika Zibanejad (93) and J.T. Miller (8) after scoring a goal during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When on the ice with Miller, Perreault had an expected goals-for rate of 55.02% according to Natural Stat Trick. His expected goals-for rate was 52.36% when sharing the ice with Zibanejad, despite the cohesion that was shown.

However, there are reasons why New York wouldn’t want their 21-year-old on a line with Miller full-time despite the more efficient goal-scoring numbers. Sullivan normally gives Miller the toughest assignments; not known for his defensive acumen, it could be a lot to ask of Perreault to handle that on a nightly basis.

It would cause a trickle-down effect, meaning the third and fourth lines are relied upon even more to help compensate for the underwhelming defensive reputations that the forwards in the top six currently have.

While there are pros and cons to every combination that Sullivan can create, fans can at least rest a little easier knowing that if Perreault doesn’t remain in a line with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, it isn’t the worst thing for his offensive ceiling.