Will Cuylle doesn’t play like a player who invites drama. He skates straight, hits hard, goes to the crease and keeps his personality just as direct. But if he keeps building on what he’s done the last two seasons, he could become one of the Rangers’ biggest offseason headaches next summer.
The 24-year-old power forward has scored 20 goals in each of the past two seasons and topped 300 hits both times. If that production holds - or if Cuylle takes another step in his fourth full season - he could be a prime offer-sheet target when he becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1.
That’s the tricky part for the Rangers. Cuylle is finishing a two-year, $7.8 million contract, and while PuckPedia has New York with nearly $36 million in projected cap space for 2027-28, that number comes with a catch: only 10 NHL players are under contract for that season. In other words, the money looks bigger on paper than it really is once the Rangers start filling out the roster.
And there’s a lot to do. Gabe Perreault, Braden Schneider and Tye Kartye are also set to become RFAs next summer, and general manager Chris Drury is expected to add higher-priced veterans through trade or free agency. So even if Cuylle deserves a raise no matter what, an offer sheet would only push the price higher.
Cuylle, for his part, doesn’t sound like a player itching to bolt.
“I think we’re building something cool here,” Cuylle said at the team’s breakup day in April, after the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season.
The Rangers would like to keep him, and for good reason. Cuylle fits the style Drury and coach Mike Sullivan want: physical, willing to battle at the net front, and relentless along the boards and in the dirty areas. He’s also been remarkably durable, playing all 82 games in each of the past two seasons and 81 as a rookie.
His role has grown beyond the rough stuff, too. Cuylle has become a reliable penalty killer and a useful net-front option on the power play, where he scored a career-high four times last season, mostly with the second unit. He’s also started to take on more of a leadership presence with the younger forwards around him.
Still, the fit has come with a caveat. Last season, Cuylle was more effective in a third-line role, and his production dipped when he moved into the top six. If his offense jumps in 2026-27 and he forces his way higher in the lineup, that only makes him more attractive to rival teams next summer.
That’s where the offer-sheet danger starts to feel real. Teams around the league are more willing than they used to be to use that tool on young players on the rise, and Cuylle’s combination of age, production and physical value could make him a tempting target even if he’s not in star territory.
He may never be a star, but he has become the kind of player contenders need: tough to play against, dependable and productive in a role that matters. He has scored tough goals and piled up 852 hits over the past three seasons. The Rangers want that in their core.
The question is how much they’re willing to pay to make sure he stays there.
The recent example of the St. Louis Blues offers the blueprint.
Two years ago, they signed Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway away from the Edmonton Oilers with offer sheets. Edmonton, strapped for cap room, declined to match either one and took draft compensation instead: a second-round pick for Broberg and a third-rounder for Holloway.
Broberg’s deal was two years at $4.58 million annually, while Holloway’s was two years at $2.29 million per season. Cuylle is already more established than either was at the time, which means any offer sheet for him would likely come with a bigger number and steeper compensation. Based on current thresholds, a theoretical deal could land in the range of one first-round pick and one third-round pick.
If Cuylle keeps trending upward, though, the price could climb into a heavier compensation tier - likely a first-, second- and third-round pick - and that’s when the Rangers would really have to weigh whether matching makes sense.
That’s the uncomfortable reality here. Cuylle is the kind of player New York wants to keep, but he’s also exactly the kind of young, useful piece that can become expensive fast. And with so many other contracts coming due, the Rangers may find themselves staring at a number they don’t love, even if the player they’re trying to keep is exactly the sort they need.
In Other News...
Rangers Top Six Could Hinge On One Season Long Audition
Oliver Bjorkstrand is in line to open the season on the Rangers second line, giving the club a veteran option as it sorts out the top six. But the fit looks temporary. He is viewed more as a short-term answer than a piece of the teams longer-term structure, which leaves the Rangers treating that spot as one of the more interesting jobs on the roster.
The real question is who eventually claims it. Will Cuylle brings the edge of an established NHL player who already showed he can help, even if his work in the top six has been uneven at times, while Liam Greentree offers the kind of offensive upside and physical game that could force his way into the conversation sooner than expected. For the Rangers, the season may end up being one long audition for that role, with the winner determined by who proves most reliable as the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Made A Hartford Move Prospects Will Feel Fast
The Rangers have given their AHL affiliate a notable reset behind the bench, naming Bob Woods and John Stevens to the Hartford Wolf Pack coaching staff. Woods will work as associate coach under head coach Jay Leach, while Stevens joins as an assistant coach, giving Hartford a pair of experienced hockey minds with long resumes in both playing and coaching.
For a development pipeline that matters so much to New York, the move adds more than just veteran credibility. Woods and Stevens both bring broad professional experience across multiple leagues, and their presence should give the Wolf Pack a more seasoned voice as the Rangers look to sharpen prospects on their way up. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Question Heading Into 2026-27
The Rangers have spent the offseason trying to reshape a roster that has missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, adding Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson as part of the effort to get back on track. Even with those moves, the pressure still sits on the players already in place, especially Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault, whose next step matters just as much as any external addition if New York is going to look like a true contender again.
Injuries have already complicated the picture and remain part of the conversation as the club heads toward the 2026-27 season. The bigger issue is whether this group can finally sustain the kind of performance that has been too inconsistent over the last two years, because a quick return to the postseason will require more than a few upgrades and a healthier lineup. [Read more 🡒]