Though the New York Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference, there have been some positives this season, including the strong play of rookies Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, and Matthew Robertson. All three have very different skillsets, but they have all shown promise and made the most of their opportunities.
Gabe Perreault’s Play
The Rangers drafted Perreault 23rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he quickly became their top prospect. He spent two seasons at Boston College and finished with 19 goals and 41 assists in 36 games in 2023-24, and 16 goals and 32 assists in 37 games in 2024-25. He made his NHL debut late last season but was held without a point in five games.
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This season, Perreault spent some time with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) and had 10 goals and seven assists in 20 games. He earned a call-up and quickly formed chemistry on the Rangers’ top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. He consistently helped create scoring chances at even strength, and he also contributed on the power play.
Perreault is not a fast skater, but he is an excellent playmaker with a good wristshot, and he makes smart decisions with and without the puck. He had two goals and an assist as he helped the Rangers come back from down 4-0 in the third to force overtime in a 5-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 2. He has four goals and eight assists in his last 10 games, and seven goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season.
Noah Laba’s Play
The Rangers drafted Laba in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, and the 6-foot-3 center went on to have success playing for Colorado College. He had 11 goals and 11 assists in 35 games in 2022-23, 20 goals and 17 assists in 36 games in 2023-24, and 10 goals and 16 assists in 29 games last season. He made the jump to play professionally and also had three goals and two assists in 11 games with the Wolf Pack last season.
Laba played very well during the preseason and made the Rangers’ opening night lineup. He has used his size effectively, is reliable defensively, and has chipped in offensively while spending most of this season on New York’s third line. He had a goal and an assist as he helped the team come back down 3-0 to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Dec. 13.
Though he continued to play well defensively, Laba slumped offensively heading into the Olympic break. He bounced back with three goals and two assists in 11 games since the break; however, he missed the Rangers’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 19 with a lower-body injury and is week-to-week. He has nine goals and 12 assists in 65 games, and has won 50.8 percent of his faceoffs. His combination of size and speed has made him a valuable player for New York this season.
Matthew Robertson
The Rangers drafted Robertson in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, and the 6-foot-4 defenseman had a long journey to breaking through in the NHL. He spent five seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and showed promise offensively as he finished with 13 goals and 34 assists in 60 games in 2019-20 and had four goals and 18 assists in 22 games in 2020-21.
In 2021-22, Robertson made the jump to the AHL with the Wolf Pack, and he spent four seasons with them before making his NHL debut last season. During his time in the AHL, he improved his skating and defensive play, while still chipping in offensively. He had one goal and 24 assists in 60 AHL games last season and was held without a point in two games with the Rangers.
This season, Robertson beat out veteran blueliner Urho Vaakanainen and earned consistent ice time with the Rangers. He has used his long reach to his advantage and become an important penalty killer. For the most part, he has been solid defensively, and his shoot-first mentality has helped him contribute offensively. He even scored a beautiful overtime goal in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 26, and he has four goals and 10 assists in 59 games.
Rangers’ Rookies Have Played Well
As the Rangers begin to rebuild, they need to trust their young players, and Perreault, Laba, and Robertson have all played well and earned their ice time this season. They need to focus on continuing to develop these rookies, as all three of them have the potential to be key players for them for years to come.
