In the BC (Before COVID) era, when the New York Rangers began their last teardown, the idea was to take some time, build patiently and stock up their prospect cupboard, hopefully building a long-term contender.
In what was seen as a stroke of fortune at the time, New York instead lucked into top two picks in consecutive years and signed one of the very best players in the world in Artemi Panarin. Without a doubt, those transactions accelerated the rebuild, leading to a pair of conference finals appearances.
However, that sharp rise also forced the Rangers to trade draft capital, as they kept falling lower in the draft order. This shortened their contention window. When the bottom eventually fell out of this generation of the Rangers, that short, sharp ascension left them dangerously thin in top-level prospects.
The Rangers have had some draft hits since their initial rebuild, with Will Cuylle and Braden Schneider turning into solid contributors, Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe good checking line players and both Noah Laba and Matthew Robinson showing some potential as rookies.
That said, the rebuild has failed to produce a genuine tentpole star for the team to build around. As Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller age, and with Vincent Trocheck likely to be following the Breadman out the door, there isn’t a forward on whom New York can pin its hopes.
Expectations around Gabe Perreault need to be tempered
Perhaps that is why so many Blueshirt fans shine a spotlight on Gabe Perreault. In what is in effect his rookie season, Perreault has made 29 appearances for the Rangers, scoring three goals and five assists in just shy of 15 minutes of ice time a night. He has made some impressive passes already, as well as shown inventiveness around the net.
