Rangers Sophomore Will Cuylle Continues to Impress During His Second Season in the NHL
Photo credit: New York Post
The New York Rangers are lucky to have Will Cuylle in the lineup. His sophomore season in the NHL has seen him nominated to be a recipient of the Steve McDonald award.
Rangers forward Will Cuylle has carved out a niche for himself in the team's lineup. His sophomore year, he found himself on the third line starting the season with Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil. Now, post-trade deadline, his linemates have changed.
However, the quality of his play remains the same as he's been the same power-forward who has earned the adoration of Rangers fans.
Cuylle played 81 games for the Rangers last season and scored only 21 points, and this season has already topped that with a career-high of 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 76.
Known as a player who isn't afraid to leave it all out on the ice, and has earned notoriety for his play style.
«It's been a really strong season for him,» Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Friday. «He comes to work every day. He's competitive, he's physical, he works hard. He exemplifies how you want your team to play. He does the right things, he's been a great teammate.»
While the Rangers themselves as a unit continue to struggle after a 2023-2024 season which saw them win the President's Trophy, Cuylle has been a bright spot.
He's done his job far above expectations, and as a third-liner, is ironically fourth on the Rangers' lineup in goal scoring this season.
He remains only two goals behind Chris Kreider in goals, at third-most.
It's an impressive feat, doubling your production only a year after your rookie season as a depth forward.
Though this shouldn't be surprising given the production we've seen in the AHL with the Hartford Wolfpack where he posted 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games with the Wolfpack.
Cuylle's game is well-rounded also, as he isn't afraid to hit and is second behind Keifer Sherwood in hits, with 281 total this year.
«The hitting is something that he's done consistently, even last year he brought that into play and so just finishing all his hits, he does it in a clean way,» Laviolette said. «I think he hits just about everything that he sees. I don't think it's reckless, but I mean some of them are loud.»
What a compliment from Peter Laviolette.
Will Cuylle could be a key piece in the Rangers' lineup if he continues playing at the pace he is. For now, we get the pleasure of seeing him develop in a Rangers uniform.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 5 | 1614 ANSWERS Rangers Sophomore Will Cuylle Continues to Impress During His Second Season in the NHL Do you think forward Will Cuylle of the New York Rangers will be a star in the league when fully developed? | ||
| Yes | 1296 | 80.3 % |
| No | 318 | 19.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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