By Jared Clinton, Features Writer
When the New York Rangers hired Mike Sullivan early this off-season, doing so mere days after he had departed the division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins, some viewed it as a chance to change the culture in The Big Apple.
Some saw it as a statement. The Blueshirts have Stanley Cup aspirations, and so they brought aboard a serial winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Others, however, saw it as a necessity. After all, something had to change after last year’s disappointing performance.
Will Cuylle saw some of those things, too. But he also saw a coach who will have high expectations for the Rangers and one who will demand a hardworking culture. And perhaps most importantly, what Cuylle saw was an opportunity.
After a head-turning sophomore season – one in which he recorded the first 20-goal campaign of his career and registered 45 points, more than double his rookie total – Cuylle recognized that a fresh face meant a blank slate. And what Cuylle has learned in his short time in the NHL, which is about to see him play under his third coach in fewer than 200 big-league games, is that a new voice behind the bench means everyone starts from scratch.
“Whenever there’s more opportunity, you always want to try to make the most of it,” Cuylle said. “Some older players were traded away, so I think there’s obviously big voids that need to be filled. Someone’s gotta step it up and pass the torch off and make sure you try to fill that gap.”
Cuylle might just be the Ranger who is in the best position to fill one of the most significant gaps in the lineup, too. Because after a season during which there was much speculation, spurred on in no small part by New York’s struggles, career-Ranger Chris Kreider was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks for spare parts over the summer. When it comes to replacing Kreider as a heart-and-soul leader for the Rangers, that will undoubtedly take time. But filling his spot in the lineup? Well, perhaps Cuylle can do that in short order.
THERE’S OBVIOUSLY BIG VOIDS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED.SOMEONE’S GOTTA STEP IT UP AND TRY TO FILL THAT GAP– Will Cuylle-
What should give the Rangers faith that Cuylle can be the answer to the Kreider-shaped hole in the lineup is that both share a willingness to get to the tough areas, not to mention similar frames with which to create some net-front havoc. Last season, Cuylle was at his most effective when mixing it up just outside the blue paint: per the NHL’s advanced-stat tracking, 60 of his 152 shots on goal came from high-danger areas, and he scored 14 of his 20 tallies from in tight.
Where that could be of most benefit to the Rangers – and where Cuylle could thus be the greatest benefactor of Kreider’s departure – is on the power play. Last season, Cuylle ate around the edges with the man advantage, skating less than one-third of the power-play minutes that Kreider did. And if Cuylle’s performance in his limited ice time under former Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is any indication, greater minutes, including more with the man advantage, will lead to a breakout campaign.
The evidence of that can be found in Cuylle’s even-strength production. While he might not have been in the upper echelon of NHL scorers, he was in the very next tier. Per 60 minutes at five-on-five last season, he was tied for 46th in point production among nearly 300 skaters who played at least 1,000 minutes. His 2.1 points per hour put him ahead of the likes of William Nylander, Mark Scheifele, Jake Guentzel and rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini.
I WANT TO KEEP BUILDING MY GAME OVERALL: 200-FOOT GAME, DOING ALL THE THINGS RIGHT AND CONTINUING TO WORK HARD– Will Cuylle-
Cuylle made the most of his minutes, including at the World Championship. His average ice time at the tournament was sub-10 minutes, but that didn’t stop him from potting two goals and four points in eight games, good enough for seventh in scoring for Canada.
The expectation, of course, won’t be for Cuylle to double his production the moment he slots into a top-six role. Nuance is necessary. Playing up the lineup means facing tougher competition on a shift-by-shift basis, and greater minutes don’t guarantee greater production.
But when Cuylle is doing his job, it manifests as more than points on the board. He can be a forechecking terror and an absolute wrecking ball in all three zones. Look no further than his 301 hits last season, which led the Rangers and tied him for third in the NHL.
And while he’d love to take a monster step forward, his goal is incremental growth.
“You have to take advantage of that when you can,” Cuylle said. “From last year to this year, I want to keep building my game overall: 200-foot game, making sure I’m doing all the things right and continuing to work hard, play hard and try to help the team as much as I can.”
This is an excerpt of a feature that appeared in The Hockey News' Goalie Issue 2025. We profile NHLers Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Karel Vejmelka, and we look at the art of puckhandling. Also, we say goodbye to three goaltending greats in Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent and Ed Giacomin.
Elsewhere in the issue, we count down the NHL's best crease duos, look at the future of goaltending for every NHL organization, explore what rule changes the NHL could "borrow" from other leagues and feature some of the best keepers from leagues across North America and the world.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
![Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Sweden forward Rickard Rakell (67) plays the puck near Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_pittsburgh_penguins_articles_513/f4122fa4647deafd3b30bbf61778b21b)
