Price Check: Will Cuylle

Welcome to Price Check, a Blueshirt Banter series looking at the New York Rangers’ pending free agents and what it might cost to keep them. The salary cap keeps climbing, fewer players are reaching the open market, and the Rangers’ projected cap space for next season will go faster than it looks, so how president and general manager Chris Drury handles this group could shape the roster for years. In each installment, we break down one player’s performance, role, and comparable contracts to project what his next deal might look like, and whether that deal should be signed in New York at all. You read more entries in this series here.

The best thing to come from Lias Andersson's tenure as a New York Ranger was the return the Rangers got for him. After he played in 66 games spread across three seasons, the Rangers came to terms with the fact that their seventh overall pick was a bust and it was time to move on. In sending him to the Los Angeles Kings, the Rangers got the 60th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, which turned into Will Cuylle.

A 6-3, 216-pound power forward from Toronto, Ontario, Cuylle was coming off an 80-point regular season with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, as well as a 31-point postseason. That in itself proved early on that this player was a gamer. After close to a full season in Hartford in which Cuylle registered 25 goals and 20 assists for 45 points in 69 games played, he would go on to become a regular in the Rangers lineup. His first full season in the NHL left him with 21 points, which he would more than double in his sophomore campaign. Over the past two seasons, Cuylle has averaged 41.5 points across full 82-game seasons.

Performance to Start the Season  

Cuylle has entered the final year of the two-year bridge deal he signed back in 2025. Heading into this season, there was a bit of an expectation that Cuylle would compete for a spot in the top six, likely with Oliver Bjorkstrand. While Bjorkstrand would win that battle, it wasn't long before Tye Kartye took that job anyway, and Cuylle has settled into a key role on the team's third line.

Cuylle has gelled really well with Noah Laba and Eeli Tolvanen, the only trio that has stuck together so far this season. Through the first 13 games of the season, Cuylle has collected 4 goals and assists for 8 points. Each of his goals has been a perfect example of what you are going to get from this player when it comes to offense. He isn't afraid to shoot the puck, and his release never fails to impress when utilized effectively.

Additionally, this is a player who isn't afraid to go to the dirty areas. Whether it's to bury a rebound or get a stick on a shot from the point, Cuylle is always active around the net and in other high-danger areas.