Perhaps this is hyperbole after one sloppy game, but the Rangers need Gabe Perreault back. I do not believe it to be a coincidence that the Rangers could not get anything going on offense following his return to the AHL, even if there was a legitimate reason for his return (roster space due to injury). To be fair though, this isn’t all about Perreault, as he’s not a game breaker. It’s more about lineup balance and offensive depth, something the Rangers are sorely lacking at the moment.
Perreault played in three games with the Rangers before Will Borgen’s injury forced Scott Morrow to be recalled, in turn also forcing Perreault to be temporarily returned to Harford to make roster space. Perreault notched an assist in those three games while his possession metrics (three games is hardly a sample) were a mixed bag. He wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but he also put up his best game in Columbus before being returned to Hartford.
The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back, but not necessarily because of his production on the ice. Perreault was fine in 12 minutes TOI per game, improving with each game played. He wasn’t hurting Mika Zibanejad, but he also wasn’t helping get JT Miller back on track. As he improved, there was hope he would be a key contributor on that line, but after three games we just didn’t have enough of a sample. The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back because of his impact on the rest of the lineup.
The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back for lineup balance, at the very least
The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back because when he was on that top line, he forced Will Cuylle down to a third line role, creating a solid two-way feisty line with Noah Laba and either Conor Sheary or Taylor Raddysh. Perreault also pushed Jonny Brodzinski and/or Juuso Parssinen out of the lineup. This is more about depth and roster construction than specific players, as the Rangers had stronger third and fourth lines with Perreault in than with him in Hartford.
It seems odd to say the Rangers need Gabe Perreault back while also acknowledging that he’s not a savior in the same breath. But both can be true at the same time. The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back simply to give the roster better depth and force the opposition to defend three lines, not two. But Perreault on his own isn’t some savior. He’s a solid top six winger that, given time, could start to be a contributor this year instead of next.
It’s no surprise that the Rangers need help on the blue line, as left defense is a major problem and Braden Schneider is an undiscussed concern (more on that on Blue Seats After Dark, releasing tomorrow for Patreon subscribers). But most teams are able to overcome shaky blue line performances with strong forward depth, the depth the Rangers had for a brief moment last week.
The good news is though the Rangers need Gabe Perreault back sooner rather than later, Will Borgen was not placed on IR. This suggests he will return at some point during the road trip this week. The Rangers won’t need to carry two spare defensemen, so Scott Morrow will likely be returned to Hartford to make room for Perreault to return while Matthew Robertson gets the Libor Hajek treatment this season.
The bad news is a rookie shouldn’t be this important this early in the season. There are some serious roster construction concerns on this team that Perreault alone can’t fix. The Rangers need Gabe Perreault back because his presence led to the best forward lines Mike Sullivan had to date. There’s still 60+ games remaining, so there’s no need to panic, but it’s clear the Rangers need to address some of these roster issues soon.
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