Mike Sullivan made a big decision regarding the makeup of the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster by sending Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
The play of Perreault and Morrow was a constant storyline throughout training camp for the Rangers.
Despite showing out throughout the course of training camp, Sullivan ultimately decided it was best for these two young players to start the season in the AHL.
“They are two young players that we are extremely excited about,” Sullivan said of Perreault and Morrow. “These guys are in our opinion NHL players in the making. Our job is to try and create a pathway to help them grow and develop to become what we hope will be the impact players that we think they are capable of being.
“We are really excited about both of those guys. We think they had terrific training camps, certainly made an impression on everybody. These guys have the potential to leave a lasting impact on the Rangers. We are trying to make the best decisions we can to try and help that process and get these guys as close to pushing their way to the roster as they can.”
There was some hope that Perreault could have cracked the Rangers’ opening-night roster after he played five NHL games last season.
The 20-year-old came into training camp more prepared and confident than he was last year, and it translated to his play on the ice.
Sullivan gave Perreault a chance both to play with some of the Rangers’ top established veteran players and serve a role on the power play.
Over the past few weeks, Perreault has demonstrated his lethal offensive threat, showcasing his potential at the highest level of competition.
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When the Rangers completed a sign-and-trade with the Carolina Hurricanes involving K’Andre Miller, the team specifically sought out to acquire Morrow.
Morrow’s skating and puck-handling abilities were on full display during training camp in the preseason, specifically on the power play, in which Morrow quarterbacked the second unit.
The 22-year-old defenseman is arguably the best skater the Rangers have in their defensive pipeline, as the proof is in the putting from training camp.
Both Perreault and Morrow should play critical roles for the Wolf Pack and may very well make their way up to the NHL at some point this season.