NY Rangers Will Need Young Forward to Continue Development

The New York Rangers will need a young forward to continue to get better.

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

After a terrible campaign, the New York Rangers will be entering the offseason with a number of needs and some question marks regarding the plan for the franchise. 

Following a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, there has been quite a bit of frustration surrounding the franchise. The Rangers have felt like a team in a bit of limbo while they try to avoid a complete rebuild. However, a last-place finish generally doesn’t create much optimism for a team going forward. 

Even though things look bleak, New York does have some good pieces in place and have positioned themselves to be major players this offseason. With Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin still in their prime, the Rangers figure to want to build around these two players and try to maximize their window. 

Furthermore, external help should be expected with a lot of cap space and two picks in the first round. However, what will be key for the team is to develop some of the young players on the roster who have shown promise. The franchise hasn’t been great at that, but one player whom they will have to focus on getting the most out of is Gabe Perreault. 

Rangers Will Be Relying On Perreault to Continue Development 

New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While there was a lot of bad for New York in the 2025-26 campaign, there was also some good. Toward the end of the season, when the team got a bit healthier, they actually started to look pretty good. The offense got rolling, the power play looked really strong, and they started winning games. 

One of the players who really started to shine was their rookie winger. Perreault was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2023 and made a solid impact for the team down the stretch. When he got moved up to the first line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, he started to shine. Overall, he totaled 27 points with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games played. 

However, a little bit of a deeper dive shows some really encouraging play in both March and April. In March, he totaled nearly a point per game with four goals and 10 assists in 16 games. Following that, in the final month of the year, he totaled five goals in his last seven games. 

With the strong play down the stretch, Perreault is clearly a player that the franchise has to invest in and set up for success going forward. Player development hasn’t been a strength, but it is something that they will need to improve upon.