One of the most underrated and consistent members of the Rangers’ lineup this season has been young winger Will Cuylle.
Despite a strong showing in training camp and preseason action, Cuylle started the year down with AHL Hartford, but he was quickly called upon to provide a spark in New York’s bottom six, and he’s done just that.
With his tough forechecking and gritty physical play, Cuylle has brought a completely different element to the Rangers’ lineup. The 22-year-old currently leads the team with 169 hits, which is good enough for fifth in the league during his rookie campaign, and he’s provided some nice offensive production with 16 points through 53 games.
Head coach Peter Laviolette and captain Jacob Trouba have been extremely impressed with how much progress the youngster’s made from the beginning of the season.
"He's stepped in and done a really good job," Trouba said. "He gets in on the forecheck and he's physical, that's something every team needs and something our team needs. It's not just the hits, he provides some offense, plays hard, mixes it up a bit. He's a fun player to watch."
"I think there's been a steady growth," Laviolette added. “I think you get more confident the more games you play. He always brings the physicality, but as you start to get more comfortable you might try a bit more with the puck offensively, which is a good thing. He’s also been pretty responsible defensively for most of the year."
Cuylle certainly looked comfortable scoring the game-winning goal in Monday’s 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames, marking the third straight contest in which he and his linemates found their way onto the scorers sheet.
Laviolette’s newly formed third line of Cuylle, Johnny Brodzinski, and Kaapo Kakko has been one of the team’s best since returning from the All-Star break.
“They’ve been a real positive factor,” Laviolette said. “There’s a good blend there with their skillsets. They’ve done a good job of creating, and it’s not just the goals that they’ve scored, they’ve been contributing a ton of positives other than on the scoreboard as well.”
While Cuylle agrees with the head coach's assessment of their line, he knows they have to keep building off these strong performances moving forward.
“We’ve been playing really well lately,” he said. “We’re all on the same page right now and we complement each other really well. We’re just trying to build even more with every game and take things one game at a time.”
