Major Development: New Candidate Has Emerged As The New York Rangers Next Captain
Photo credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
The New York Rangers are without a Captain after trading Jacob Trouba away in December. With a new bench boss, the team will have to decide on a new status quo to lead into Madison Square Garden, and the person who will decide will be Mike Sullivan. Is power-forward Will Cuylle a great candidate? We think so.
Will Cuylle came off a career year in 2024-25 and is one of the Rangers' key players in the lineup. He'd score his first 20-goal, 45-point season in the NHL, more than doubling his production the year beforehand.
For Cuylle, he seemed nothing more than a brutish, 3rd-liner when he first arrived, but his progression would take time. He'd find himself playing in the top-six after both of his original linemates, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, have been traded.
He'd find a home with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.
Cuylle would end the year with 301 total hits, just behind Keifer Sherwood of the Vancouver Canucks. He'd also end the year with a +12 and the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.
Will Cuylle's's a Solid Two-way player for the Rangers
Former Head Coach Peter Laviolette would speak highly of Will Cuylle's efforts in 2024-25.
«He's been, you know, been really good. Even going back to exhibition when he first came in here, he was a noticeable player with his speed and his physicality,» Laviolette said.
«The chances he gets in practice and the way he can finish, there's definitely a potential for him to score goals and create up here as well.»
«The chances he gets in practice and the way he can finish, there's definitely a potential for him to score goals and create up here as well.»
Cuylle has continued to progress year-by-year, as he began his rookie campaign playing a total of 11:08 time on ice per night, and would increase to 15:05 in year two.
He embraced penalty-killing and second power-play duties, even becoming the first Ranger under age 23 to hit 20 points in so few games (23) since Alex Kovalev in 1995-96.
The team showed their faith in him, signing him to a two-year, $7.8 M deal this summer. He's shown he's got the workhorse mentality and orthodox style of play that NHL fans love.
But has he earned the Captaincy in New York?
He surely is a candidate with his ethos and work ethic, which is evident every night on the ice. Since Trouba's exit, Cuylle, along with Vinie Trocheck, are two candidates who will jockey for the position in 2025.
Previously on NY Rangers Insider
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 58 ANSWERS Major Development: New Candidate Has Emerged As The New York Rangers Next Captain Do you think forward Will Cuylle of the New York Rangers will be the captain? | ||
| Yes | 12 | 20.7 % |
| No | 46 | 79.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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