Tye Kartye is making the Seattle trip with the Rangers, and the timing couldn’t be better for a player who has turned a waiver claim into one of New York’s best finds.
The Blueshirts head west Friday for a four-game road swing that starts Saturday against the Kraken, the same team that put Kartye on waivers last season and opened the door for general manager Chris Drury to scoop him up on March 1. Since then, the 25-year-old forward has become a real force in the lineup, piling up 26 points in 41 games with the Rangers - 10 goals and 16 assists - while bringing the kind of edge and pace that keeps shifting momentum.
That production works out to a 52-point pace over a full season, which is a pretty sharp turn for an undrafted player whose previous high was 22 points in a season. Even more striking, Kartye has gone from being a gritty bottom-six piece to a regular in the top six this year, and a big reason is how well he’s clicked with captain J.T. Miller.
The two were everywhere Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, especially early. Their forecheck helped set the tone in the first period, and it directly led to the opening goal when Miller’s shot deflected off Gabe Perreault and into the net at 4:39.
Kartye came through again in the third period, burying a breakaway goal that pushed the Rangers ahead 3-2 and sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
“Right before we scored one of the goals, [ Will Cuylle ] said to me on the bench ‘the crowd’s getting loud.’ I said, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to score. It’d be pretty cool.'” Kartye recounted postgame.
Through 17 games this season, Kartye has 12 points, all at even strength, which ranks second on the team. He’s also tied for third on the Rangers with five goals, and the physical side of his game is still very much part of the package. Kartye is second on the team with 46 hits.
Coach Mike Sullivan didn’t hide how much he values what Kartye brings.
“He works at his game every day. He’s a relentless worker.
He’s just a great teammate,” coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. I think.
Ever since we’ve picked him up and he joined our team, he’s just fit in with our group. I think he’s getting better and better.
“This guy’s on a 60-plus point pace since he’s become a Ranger. And he brings so many intangibles.
He’s good on the penalty kill, his puck pursuit game, he skates, he hunts pucks, and he’s conscientious defensively. He’s been a great fit for our group.
I think he thrives in the game that we’re trying to play, but I couldn’t be happier for him.”
The Rangers clearly feel the same way. So do the fans at the Garden. And now Kartye gets a chance to face the Kraken with all of that fresh in everyone’s mind.
Brad Marchand, meanwhile, is skating but does not expect to return from a left-knee injury until December, according to Florida Hockey Now.
Elsewhere around the league, Connor McDavid was upset Thursday after a “dangerous” hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson sent the NHL’s leading scorer into the goal post and net in the first period, TSN reported.
Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli examined why the Tampa Bay Lightning are taking the long view with pending UFA Nikita Kucherov and his recent trade request. Daily Faceoff reported that player agent Dan Milstein said his client Andrei Vasilevskiy wants to spend his entire career with the Lightning and hopes the team feels the same after the Kucherov situation.
In Detroit, Max Smith reported that Red Wings holdout defenseman Simon Edvinsson has been skating at the Nashville Predators practice facility as he looks for a contract resolution - or a trade - before the Dec. 1 deadline that would make him eligible to play this season.
Pierre LeBrun reported that the Utah Mammoth are becoming an increasingly attractive NHL destination, which could matter in the trade and free-agent markets.
And the Islanders added defenseman Ben Hutton on a one-year contract after he agreed to a PTO and practiced with the club earlier in the week. He did not play in their 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
In Other News...
Rangers Finally Delivered The Late Push Fans Had Been Waiting For
For a team that had been waiting on a timely finish, the Rangers finally gave Madison Square Garden one. New York trailed Philadelphia before finding its push in the third period, scoring twice to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 win and give the home crowd the kind of late surge it has been hoping to see more often.
Dylan Garand backed it up with 23 saves, and the result also fit a broader trend the Rangers have been trying to build at home and against Metropolitan Division opponents. The comeback left the Flyers paying for a costly mistake, while the Rangers walked away with a win that felt like more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Already Face An Uncomfortable Rick Tocchet Question
The Rangers have their own reasons to keep an eye on the Flyers early-season unease, because the broader NHL conversation around coaching and roster direction is starting to sound familiar in New York. With the 2026-27 season still taking shape, the focus around the league has shifted toward whether a teams problems are really about execution or something deeper in the way it was built and managed.
For the Rangers, that matters because the same kind of scrutiny can quickly land on a front office when results lag and the margin for error gets thin. The current chatter around Philadelphia, San Jose and New York is less about one bad week than about whether the people steering these teams have enough answers, and for the Rangers, that leaves a familiar question hanging over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Young Forwards Are Giving This Team Real Reason For Hope
The Rangers have spent plenty of time looking for a younger core to grow into bigger roles, and there are real signs that the forward group is starting to answer. Will Cuylle has already shown he can finish, Alexis Lafrenire has settled into a top-line wing spot while leading the team in scoring, and Tye Kartye has added offense after coming over on waivers. Even Gabe Perreault, still working to establish himself on the roster, has brought the kind of pace and skill that keeps him in the conversation.
What makes this stretch encouraging is that it is not coming from one player carrying the load. Cuylles versatility, Lafrenires continued rise, Perreaults upside and Kartyes ability to chip in give the Rangers multiple paths to more scoring depth. For a team that has been searching for more long-term certainty up front, that kind of development is exactly the sort of thing that can change the outlook, even if the final shape of the group is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]