Many fans across the NHL were surprised to learn Chris Drury and the New York Rangers passed on an eight-year extension for Gabe Perreault. Especially after the Washington Capitals handed one such contract to Ryan Leonard before the old Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired.
Now, eight-year deals for players re-signing with their clubs are a thing of the past in the NHL. The new CBA between the league and the Players’ Association (NHLPA) lowered the bar to seven years tops. That means Drury and the Rangers waved goodbye to such an extension for Perreault right when the clock hit midnight in New York City.
As Sept. 15 became Sept. 16, there was no countdown and no ball dropped in Times Square. Still, the Broadway Blueshirts may have fumbled anyway. Drury, however, begs to differ and addressed the organization’s decision with a strong statement.
“We’re excited to see Gabe [Perreault] and other young players continue to grow, take on more responsibility, earn more responsibility here and have good productive years for us,” Drury said, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post, during his pre-training-camp press conference in New York.
Gabe Perreault #94 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Drury makes NY Rangers’ plan clear
With his statement, Drury confirmed what had been theorized about why New York didn’t extend Perreault to a max-term, eight-year contract while they still had the chance. The Rangers, though pleased with Perreault, haven’t seen enough from him yet. His sample size remains small, and the team wants to evaluate him during a full season, or at least the majority of one, before deciding how much he should make, what his cap hit should be, and how long the Rangers are willing to commit to him.
The same logic applies to Perreault and his camp, who are confident they can sign an even larger deal if the American-Canadian puts together another strong year. Obviously, learning that Washington extended Leonard, who played with Perreault at Boston College and on Team USA’s junior teams, made waves and may have made the Blueshirts consider, even for a millisecond, handing their youngster a similar extension.
Drury is pleased with the decision
In the end, however, playing the long game appears to be the wiser choice. Drury believes so, and he remains confident in the direction the team is heading. However, it’s too early to be taking victory laps.
“I’m not going to get into contract negotiations publicly. All or any conversations I have with players or agents, keep that private,” Drury stated. “We’re happy with where we’re at. We’re happy with where our roster is at. We’re happy with our cap projections going into this year and in the future.“
NY Rangers could face offer-sheet threat
Perreault is a pending RFA, meaning he is virtually locked to stay in the Big Apple once his entry-level contract expires. However, the Rangers can’t get overconfident. The Anaheim Ducks’ Leo Carlsson offer-sheet saga, which changed the entire landscape across the NHL, should serve as a reminder.
It looks like offer-sheet stock-rising maneuvers will become more and more common in the league, and if the Blueshirts don’t extend Perreault before the end of the 2026-27 campaign, they, too, risk falling victim to them.
