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The Rangers are close to signing top prospect Gabe Perreault and may be throwing him right into the NHL fire.
Less than 24 hours after his sophomore season at Boston College ended Sunday with a 3-1 loss to Denver in the NCAA quarterfinals, the 19-year-old forward is set to ink his entry-level contract, according to multiple reports.
It's expected to be a three-year, $2.825 million deal that would come with an annual salary cap hit of $941,667 and another potential $875,000 in achievable performance bonuses over the course of the contract, including $500,000 in the final year, as first detailed by PuckPedia.
The contract will begin immediately, with Perreault and his agent, Pat Brisson, successfully convincing the Rangers to burn the first of his three entry-level years on the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
It's not an ideal situation for New York, which surely would have preferred delaying the start until next season to maximize the years of team control. But the 2023 first-round draft pick has emerged as one of the top talents in the NCAA and had the bargaining power to speed up his clock, putting him on pace to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027 as opposed to 2028.
Since the Rangers are already losing that extra season, they might as well get a look at their consensus top prospect now. There's a real chance Perreault will make his NHL debut in the coming days, perhaps as soon as Wednesday's 7 p.m. home game against the Minnesota Wild.
The Blueshirts only have eight games remaining in the regular season, which will make for a fleeting trial run. That'll be especially true if they fail to make the playoffs, as they entered play Monday trailing Montreal by .007 percentage points for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot.
How much Perreault will help the cause − and how prominent of a role he'll be asked to play − remains to be seen.
Gabe Perreault: Is the Rangers' top prospect NHL ready?
He's been one of the most productive players in college hockey the last two years, accumulating 108 points (35 goals and 73 assists) across 73 games played in that span. Scouts universally rave about his skill, offensive creativity and processing speed, with most grading his playmaking and hockey IQ as elite.
"How quickly his brain works is the part that really jumps out to you," said BC head coach Greg Brown, who recently noted the strides Perreault has made in other areas, as well.
"He's been more detailed, more sound all over the ice," he said last week. "His game has been improving to where he's not just helping us with the offense. Of course, that's going to be his calling card. It is his calling card, but he's become more reliable in every aspect."
The only question is whether the 5-foot-11, 178-pounder is ready to handle the physical rigors of the NHL.
Some have advocated for a patient approach that includes possible time in the AHL as a stepping stone, but Perreault apparently had other plans.
The Rangers may still decide to go that route this coming fall, but first they'll take their top prospect for a test drive in the heat of a playoff race.
The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault mostly played left wing in college, which is undoubtedly New York's deepest position, but he's previously expressed comfort in shifting to the right side. That may be his best path to a top-six (or least middle-six) role on a team that already has Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Will Cuylle at LW, plus older prospects in Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann.
It will be a point of intrigue to see how head coach Peter Laviolette deploys him. The Rangers' bench boss is desperately trying to make the playoffs and save his job, with a tendency to lean on veterans in these must-win games. But it'll be in the organization's best long-term interest to see how Perreault fares while giving him a head start on earning a roster spot for next season.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers expected to sign top prospect Gabe Perreault,
Continue reading...
Less than 24 hours after his sophomore season at Boston College ended Sunday with a 3-1 loss to Denver in the NCAA quarterfinals, the 19-year-old forward is set to ink his entry-level contract, according to multiple reports.
It's expected to be a three-year, $2.825 million deal that would come with an annual salary cap hit of $941,667 and another potential $875,000 in achievable performance bonuses over the course of the contract, including $500,000 in the final year, as first detailed by PuckPedia.
The contract will begin immediately, with Perreault and his agent, Pat Brisson, successfully convincing the Rangers to burn the first of his three entry-level years on the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
It's not an ideal situation for New York, which surely would have preferred delaying the start until next season to maximize the years of team control. But the 2023 first-round draft pick has emerged as one of the top talents in the NCAA and had the bargaining power to speed up his clock, putting him on pace to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027 as opposed to 2028.
Since the Rangers are already losing that extra season, they might as well get a look at their consensus top prospect now. There's a real chance Perreault will make his NHL debut in the coming days, perhaps as soon as Wednesday's 7 p.m. home game against the Minnesota Wild.
The Blueshirts only have eight games remaining in the regular season, which will make for a fleeting trial run. That'll be especially true if they fail to make the playoffs, as they entered play Monday trailing Montreal by .007 percentage points for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot.
How much Perreault will help the cause − and how prominent of a role he'll be asked to play − remains to be seen.
Gabe Perreault: Is the Rangers' top prospect NHL ready?
He's been one of the most productive players in college hockey the last two years, accumulating 108 points (35 goals and 73 assists) across 73 games played in that span. Scouts universally rave about his skill, offensive creativity and processing speed, with most grading his playmaking and hockey IQ as elite.
"How quickly his brain works is the part that really jumps out to you," said BC head coach Greg Brown, who recently noted the strides Perreault has made in other areas, as well.
"He's been more detailed, more sound all over the ice," he said last week. "His game has been improving to where he's not just helping us with the offense. Of course, that's going to be his calling card. It is his calling card, but he's become more reliable in every aspect."
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The only question is whether the 5-foot-11, 178-pounder is ready to handle the physical rigors of the NHL.
Some have advocated for a patient approach that includes possible time in the AHL as a stepping stone, but Perreault apparently had other plans.
The Rangers may still decide to go that route this coming fall, but first they'll take their top prospect for a test drive in the heat of a playoff race.
The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault mostly played left wing in college, which is undoubtedly New York's deepest position, but he's previously expressed comfort in shifting to the right side. That may be his best path to a top-six (or least middle-six) role on a team that already has Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Will Cuylle at LW, plus older prospects in Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann.
It will be a point of intrigue to see how head coach Peter Laviolette deploys him. The Rangers' bench boss is desperately trying to make the playoffs and save his job, with a tendency to lean on veterans in these must-win games. But it'll be in the organization's best long-term interest to see how Perreault fares while giving him a head start on earning a roster spot for next season.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers expected to sign top prospect Gabe Perreault,
Continue reading...
