Why Will Cuylle is interesting, imperfect fit in Rangers top 6

The New York Rangers have experimented with a multitude of options when it comes to their top-six forward group, particularly at right wing. Despite an offseason trade for Reilly Smith, who is presumed to take the right wing spot next to Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, a permanent fixture is still far from a certainty. But perhaps there’s an interesting route that hasn’t yet been fully explored.

Will Cuylle may not be the prototypical top-six forward for the modern game, but there’s reason to buy into the 22-year-old being a strong fit.

His first full season in the NHL may not have been explosive offensively, but Cuylle established an identity as a gritty skater who’s willing to do all the dirty work. He finished ninth in the NHL with 249 hits, leading all rookies, and was a reliable piece in the bottom six, playing 81 of 82 regular-season games and all 16 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Despite playing on a low-producing checking line, Cuylle still managed 21 points and 13 goals. He ranked seventh on the team and sixth amongst forwards in goals, and tied with Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights for the ninth-most goals by an NHL rookie last season.

Though Cuylle’s on-ice performance in the NHL so far seems better suited for a bottom-six role, he’s been a lethal offensive threat in the AHL and juniors.

As a 20-year-old in 2022-23, Cuylle led the Hartford Wolf Pack with 25 goals, finishing second on the team with 45 points in 69 games. He racked up a ridiculous 43 goals and 80 points in 59 games as the captain of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL the season prior.

It’s obviously much harder to do at the NHL, but perhaps that’s an indicator that Cuylle has room to grow, and could do so on a more talented and offensively potent line, especially after his impressive output considering he logged only 11:01 in ATOI last season.

It’s an interesting thought, but one that’s probably left better off as just that for now.

Coach Peter Laviolette seems unwilling to break up the dynamic line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere. If Kreider and Zibanejad are going to remain a duo, that leaves one spot — the right wing on their line.

Even if Cuylle were to leap Smith in the depth chart, it would mean playing the youngster on his off-hand in a position he has limited pro experience playing.

Cuylle has risen through the system as a left winger with little to show that he’s spent any significant time on the right side. Per MoneyPuck’s NHL Line stats, Cuylle played just over 100 minutes at right wing during the regular season and played exclusively on the left during the postseason.

Lafreniere found great success switching to his off-hand side last season, resulting in a career year and renewed confidence. That, however, is a supremely talented No. 1 overall pick — it feels unfair to use him as a comparison for Cuylle, a late second-round pick with a completely different offensive profile.

Cuylle’s underlying metrics offensively don’t pop off the page. His 48.73 xGF% and 0.8 xGAR both rank 12th among Blueshirts skaters and he finished in the 29th percentile offensively per Evolving Hockey’s skater charts.

It’s not to say he couldn’t grow into the role next season, but more so that rolling with Cuylle would be a big roll of the dice, one that isn’t strongly backed by the analytics.

Then there’s the question of his fit on the line with Kreider and Zibanejad.

Kreider, at his best, is a finisher who can set up shop in front of the net. He’s not a bad playmaker, but it’s not his strongest trait.

Cuylle didn’t show much in the way of playmaking this past season, finishing the year with eight assists. He didn’t have a ton of goalscoring on his lines to speak of, particularly with Filip Chytil out for most of the season, so it’s hard to place blame on him for low assist numbers. However, he’s been more of a scorer than a facilitator in his strongest offensive seasons in the AHL and juniors.

His best assets are his 6-foot-2 frame and willingness to use his body to make tough plays and get physical on both ends of the ice. It’s a toughness that the Rangers top six largely lacked down the stretch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, so perhaps that’s a welcome addition to the top line. Kreider does not use his 6-foot-3 frame in a physical way enough and Zibanejad is similarly finesse-focused despite his 6-foot-2 size.

Unfortunately, it still puts the brunt of the playmaking and facilitating responsibility on Zibanejad, who’s coming off one of his worst seasons as a Ranger. If Kreider and Zibanejad are going to remain on the same line, they likely need another strong playmaker to get them operating at a high level again.

Throw it all together and it feels like a desperate move to light a spark more than anything else.

Cuylle has worlds of promise and potential and could easily end up being in the top sixdown the line. It just doesn’t seem like the right move to rush that in order to remedy a line that has struggled despite a multitude of different partners.

By Lou Orlando

Lou Orlando has spent the past two seasons as a New York Rangers beat reporter for WFUV Sports. The... More about Lou Orlando