2025 Rangers Season Previews: Will Cuylle

This article is part of an ongoing series of Rangers Season Previews, taking a close look at what we can, and should, expect from each member of the 2025-26 New York Rangers. To read other articles in this series, go here.

Watching Will Cuylle break out last season was one of the few things that kept New York Rangers fans from losing their minds. Cuylle was among a small number of players on the team who could say they grew their game, which earned him a two-year contract extension this offseason. With last season in the past, it is time to see if Cuylle has reached his full potential or if there is more room to grow.

Previous Performance

Last season, Will Cuylle stepped up his game in a big way, recording 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points, more than doubling his point total from the previous season. Of his 20 goals, 16 came at even strength, two came shorthanded, and the last two came on the power play. Cuylle also laid 301 hits, which was enough to set the franchise record for most hits in a single season. All this helped Cuylle win his first Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, displaying his dedication on the ice.

While it seemed everyone else on the team had given up, that was never the case for Cuylle. Even in games where it seemed the Rangers were outmatched from the start, he provided a consistent physical presence without becoming a liability to the team. The 23-year-old suited up in all 82 regular season games for the first time in his career after playing in 81 the season before.

He started the 2023–24 season on the third line, but later in the season he found himself playing in a top-six role for the team. As the roster changed throughout the season for numerous different reasons, Cuylle made the most of his opportunities, spending time on a pair with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad later in the year.

Cuylle successfully established himself on the Rangers' penalty kill unit and held his own while on the ice, helping the Rangers kill off 80.3 percent of their penalties, the eleventh best in the NHL. Cuylle has consistently enhanced his value to the Rangers by broadening his game to support the team while shorthanded.

I doubt any Rangers fans are denying how much of a pleasant surprise Cuylle was last season. He won over the hearts of numerous fans, including me, but now we all know what he is capable of, especially in what was not an ideal situation.

Expectations

Entering the season, the expectation for Cuylle should be to serve as a middle-six forward for the Blueshirts. With head coach Mike Sullivan stating he will likely start the year with Zibanejad on the wing with Miller, that only leaves one open winger spot in the top six. There is a possibility that Cuylle fills that void, but it would not be surprising to see someone like Brennan Othmann get the opportunity early in the season.

Regardless of where Cuylle plays in the lineup, he must continue to play a strong two-way game for the Rangers. If he does play on a line with Miller and Zibanejad or if he returns to the third line, his physical presence and scoring ability are needed. While he might not be the flashiest offensive player, he is dependable. Over the course of last season, there was only one stretch longer than five games where he did not record a point.

Cuylle should also be expected to take on a larger role as a penalty killer for the Rangers. We saw the young forward work his way onto the team's shorthanded unit, but now he must continue to grow that part of his game. When the Rangers have found success in recent years, it has been in large part due to having one of the top penalty-killing units in the league.

Predictions

I keep going back and forth on whether Cuylle will start the season on the third line or will have the chance to prove himself in a top six role. With the expectation that Miller and Zibanejad will be on a line together, I think Cuylle will complement them nicely and get to start the year in the top six. However, I do not expect him to play the entirety of the 2025-26 season in this spot. If Brennan Othmann starts the season hot or Gabe Perreault grows into the player many think he can become, Cuylle may be pushed back down the Rangers' lineup.

I believe Cuylle will register 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points. This wouldn't represent a drastic improvement, but he will still grow his game. Cuylle likely already took the biggest jump of his career, and the growth from here on out will be steady. If he does start off the year getting top six minutes, I can see him coming out of the gate hot. However, once he gets reassigned back to the third line, his minutes and production will likely take a hit.

Like just about everyone else on the team, I also think Cuylle will receive a performance bump due to the changes behind the bench. If he does exceed the statistics I predicted, I believe Mike Sullivan will be a large reason why. The start of the season grows closer by the day, and soon we will get to see if Will Cuylle can take his game to another level.