Gabe Perreault ready to carve out his long-term Rangers vision ahead of second full season

So much has changed in a year for Gabe Perreault.At this time last season, he was the top prospect trying to crack the Rangers’ opening-night roster and then was the top prospect getting sent to AHL Hartford.

After finally earning a call-up in December, Perreault found a way to stick for the rest of the season — climbing the lineup until he reached the top line.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.With the Blueshirts’ 2026-27 campaign set to begin Tuesday night, Perreault already has shifted from being a critical piece of the Rangers’ future to an indispensable piece of their present.

Head coach Mike Sullivan kept Perreault on the left side of Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière throughout training camp, trying to rekindle chemistry from the end of last season. Perreault, who scored during the Blueshirts’ preseason win Friday, will attempt to build on his 12 goals and 27 points from his 49 games last season.While he was “not focused” on the potential for an eight-year extension before the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement kicked in Sept.

16 and extinguished that possibility, Perreault, a restricted free agent at the end of the year, can envision himself carving out a long-term place with the Rangers. “I love it here, and I could see myself being here for a long time,” Perreault told The Post on Wednesday.“But like I said, it’s gonna take care of itself, and that’s kind of the way I see it.” The Rangers used a cautious approach with Perreault at the start of last season, opting to give the 20-year-old top minutes with the Wolf Pack after burning the first year of his entry-level deal at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

But it has started to pay off, giving the Blueshirts a prospect jolt they’ve previously lacked with their high draft picks.Perreault, a first-rounder in 2023 who went to Boston College, impres...