4:00 PM: The Rangers have made this signing official. They’ve added their top prospect with eight games left on the schedule.
11:30 AM: Boston College star winger and top Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault will join teammate Ryan Leonard in turning pro. After reporting earlier Monday that the latter will sign his entry-level deal with the Capitals, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds Perreault is also expected to sign his ELC with New York and make his NHL debut this week. PuckPedia reports his deal will carry a $942K cap hit with the following terms:
2024-25 (prorated): $830K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $25K games played bonus
2025-26: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $350K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus
2026-27: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus
Perreault, the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, has formed one of the most formidable duos in the NCAA with Leonard over the last two years. A product of the U.S. National Development Team Program, the 5’11” Perreault has thrived as one of the best playmaking wingers in college as a teenager. He’s the younger of the duo, still 19 years old. He’ll turn 20 in May.
Like Leonard, Perreault’s sophomore season was a tad quieter than his freshman campaign. He still finished second on the team in scoring behind his now-divisional rival, posting 16-32–48 in 37 games to tie for 11th in the country in scoring. Nonetheless, his 73 assists over the last two years are still tied for second in the NCAA behind star Denver defenseman and Wild prospect Zeev Buium’s 74.
Perreault is the top jewel in a slightly below-average Rangers prospect pool and sits as the No. 9 prospect in the NHL, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic – one spot behind Leonard. The son of ex-NHLer Yanic Perreault and brother of Oilers minor-leaguer Jacob Perreault has won back-to-back gold medals with the United States at the World Juniors, posting 6-14–20 in 14 tournament games in 2024 and 2025.
He joins a Rangers team that’s still in a very legitimate playoff hunt. Despite going 4-5-1 in their last 10, no other team in the race for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference has won more than four out of their last 10. That means their playoff odds still remain at 32.8%, second behind the Canadiens’ 38.6%, per MoneyPuck. However, the Blueshirts have the second most difficult remaining schedule in the league behind the Red Wings, including four games against the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Panthers. They sit tied with Montreal at 77 points and would win a tiebreaker with any other team in the race with 32 regulation wins, but have one less game to play than the Habs.
Perreault should enter a Rangers top-nine, potentially even top-six, that’s been pedestrian offensively in 2024-25. He could very well get a trial on the top line opposite Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. Their current right-winger, 2021 first-rounder Brennan Othmann, has just two assists in 16 NHL appearances this season. Barring a prohibitively difficult showing down the stretch, Perreault is an overwhelmingly likely inclusion on their opening night roster for 2025-26.
Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.
