NEW YORK – There’s no denying the talent that Gabe Perreault possesses.

There’s also no denying that, at some point, he’ll be a National Hockey League regular for a long, long time.

This preseason may accelerate that path greatly. Fighting for a roster spot that might not even be open on the New York Rangers, the 20-year-old winger continues to shine in September; he potted his second goal in as many games in the Blueshirts 5-4 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

The team’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder had a decorated amateur career prior to reaching Manhattan late last season for a five-game taste of the big leagues, earning gold for Team USA at the U-18’s in 2023, and the World Junior Championships in both 2024 and 2025, not to mention his accolades in two years at Boston College, where he scored the third-most points (108) in the NCAA since beginning his collegiate career.

On most other teams, he’d not only be a lock to make the team, he’d be in a top-six role.

The Rangers, despite last year’s colossal disappointment in which they missed the playoffs entirely, remain not just another team, still built and positioned for a legitimate postseason run.

So where does Perreault fit in all that?

“Gabe has NHL talent, I think that’s on display,” said first-year Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan. “He’s young, and in my experience in coaching young players, a lot of it is just about the thankless jobs; knowing when to put a puck deep, defensive responsibilities, awareness in the defensive zone. And then strength, being strong on puck battles…he sees it extremely well. He plays with courage, he’s willing to go into the battle areas…we’ve been really encouraged with his game.”

Yet, many projections of how the Rangers opening night roster look have Perreault on the outside looking in, with the thought being that he’d be better off with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he’d be getting the kind of ice time he likely wouldn’t on a team with a top-six forward group that’s virtually uncrackable.

Sullivan said he doesn’t feel like Perreault necessarily needs to be in that role, but that he simply needs to play and get minutes to further his development, and whether that occurs in the Big Apple or at the XL Center remains to be seen.

For his part, Perreault is doing and saying the right things. Tuesday night was perhaps a bit of a lesson in the need to play a full 60 minutes – and sometimes more – at the highest level, and one he seemed to take to heart after the team blew a 4-1 lead in the third.

“Felt good, especially through the first two periods,” said Perreault, who was on a line with Will Cuylle and Juuso Parssinen. “Thought our line played well, a lot of chances and did the little things right with forechecking and all that.  It was good overall, but the third period obviously wasn’t very good.  You can’t stop playing.  We were definitely the better team in the first two periods, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to win off of that.  If you just stop playing, it’s not going to work.  We’ve got to be better in the third and learn from it.”

Perreault recorded 17:43 worth of ice time on Tuesday night, putting four shots on goal while also posting a minus-two rating, as he was on the ice for three of Boston’s last four goals.

Ultimately, it’s still been an impressive camp, and one that will likely take until the last day of the preseason, October 4 in Boston, to determine the final outcome on where the first full year of his pro career will begin.

“I think I’ve been playing really well, but it’s not something that’s going to be given to me,” he said. “It doesn’t mean if you play well one game that you’re on the team, you’ve got to earn it each and every day.  I think I’ve had a