The New York Rangers have spent plenty of time this offseason drawing attention for the obvious names - Pavel Dorofeyev, coming off back-to-back 35-goal seasons, and Alberts Smits, the No. 5 overall pick who could push for a spot out of training camp. But the player who might matter just as much, and is getting far less buzz, is Tye Kartye.
Right now, Kartye is slotted by Elite Prospects, Daily Faceoff and Puck Pedia as the Rangers’ fourth-line left wing. That ranking makes sense on paper, especially with Taylor Raddysh still on the roster. If Raddysh weren’t there, Kartye would look like a much easier candidate to climb the lineup.
The Rangers closed last season with Kartye skating alongside Noah Laba and Will Cuylle, and the group found some success. In 24 games with New York, Kartye averaged 14:04 of ice time, scored five goals and added nine assists for 14 points. That 0.58 points-per-game pace would translate to 49 points over an 84-game season.
That kind of production is probably not a fair expectation over a full year, but Kartye has shown enough scoring touch at other stops to keep the idea alive. He posted 45 goals and 79 points in his final OHL season, then followed that with 28 goals and 57 points in his first year with Coachella Valley in the American Hockey League.
At 25, the usual read is that he’s unlikely to suddenly become a top-six fixture. Still, what he does next could send real waves through the roster.
One reason is the timeline around Liam Greentree. The expectation here is that he’ll get a look in 2026-27, with a debut more likely in the middle of the 2027 season unless he has an exceptional training camp and preseason. Before the Rangers get to that point, they may need to cycle through a few options, and Kartye could be one of the names that helps determine how long they wait.
Oliver Bjorkstrand is the more established piece in the mix. He’s a veteran who has topped 20 goals six times and has come close in a few other seasons. He’s projected as a top-six option, even though last year in Tampa Bay he produced 12 goals and 32 points while averaging 13:38 per game - the kind of output a team would happily take from a third-line winger.
That opens the door to a scenario where Kartye gets rolling early, Bjorkstrand doesn’t quite fit, and the two end up swapping places in the lineup. If that happens, Kartye would suddenly have the inside track, and younger players in Hartford could be left waiting. Bjorkstrand, in that sense, looks more like a temporary solution until someone better emerges or a prospect forces the issue.
Will Cuylle adds another layer. He’s already had multiple chances to lock down a top-six role, and with him in a contract year, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Rangers try to put him in position to score more and raise his next deal.
There’s also a smaller chance the Rangers make a bigger move and land a first-line winger. In that kind of setup, Dorofeyev or Alexis Lafrenière would slide to the second line, and the rest of the forward group would shift around them.
Kartye’s appeal is that he fits the profile of a late-blooming swing who could outplay expectations. The Brandon Hagel comparisons are obvious, even if this is not being framed as a prediction that he turns into Hagel.
Hagel was a sixth-round pick in 2016, put up 102 points in his final WHL season after two years of 59 in 56 and 71 in 65, then had 31 points in 59 AHL games as a rookie. He reached the NHL in 2020-21, scored 24 points in 52 games, then 37 in 55 before the Blackhawks traded him to Tampa Bay.
After that came six points in 22 regular-season games and six in 23 playoff games with the Lightning, then a first full Tampa season that produced a career-high 64 points, followed by 75, then 90, and finally 36 goals and 74 points in 71 games last season.
Kartye is not on that track, and the article doesn’t pretend otherwise. But he does have a similar underdog appeal.
He had 79 points in his final OHL season, 57 in his rookie AHL campaign, and 11 goals and 20 points in his rookie season with Seattle. Now with the Rangers, he’s getting a chance to grow into more than a depth piece.
At 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, he brings a feisty edge, and even a scaled-down Hagel-type impact would be useful. There’s also the possibility that the Rangers view him as a cheaper, potentially more effective version of Cuylle, whose future in New York is still unclear.
That’s why Kartye stands out. What he does next could shape several decisions around him, from lineup spots to prospect timelines. For now, he’s the name worth watching even if he’s not the loudest one on the roster.
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