Fraser Minten contract provides the Rangers an extension blueprint for Will Cuylle

NHL players are finally being rewarded after decades of being some of the lowest paid professional athletes considering what they put their bodies through. Fraser Minten's new contract might just give the Rangers fanbase and organization a decent idea of what they could be looking at this offseason or sooner.

Newly Minted

On September 8th, the Boston Bruins announced their commitment to young center Fraser Minten, extending him to a 7-year contract worth $7.2m AAV. The forward didn't miss a game in the regular season and was coming off a 17 goal season as a 22 year old, though he was held off the scoresheet in the Bruins 4-2 series loss to the Sabres. The club clearly saw promise and avoided what could have been a clumsy bridge deal inevitably ending in a much larger contract should he improve drastically over the coming years.

The Rangers could and should be taking notes here, as they have a tendency to lean towards the latter, awarding only small short-term deals for budding players, and kicking the can down the road before having to make the decision to "go big" or find a trade. It should be an absolute focus to ink up a player like Cuylle, who was reportedly kept out of trade negotiations this past season, if they intend to keep him on the lineup for the foreseeable future.

But just how similar are the two players?

For starters, Will Cuylle has been one of the few bright spots for the Rangers these last two woeful years. Though Cuylle is Fraser's elder by two years, the 24 year old followed up his 20-goal campaign in the 24-25 season with an almost identical stat sheet in a year where nearly everyone saw their numbers take a downward turn. I don't so much view that as a knock to Cuylle, but rather a glimpse into his ability to put in a solid effort when the team around him is floundering.

Both young forwards have shown they can stand up to the grueling slog of an NHL season, and Cuylle has stayed remarkably healthy for the Rangers, missing just one regular season game over the last three full seasons. They were also both selected in the second round, while showing promise of developing into top-six regulars averaging just a bit over 15 minutes per game in their early 20's. Not an easy feat to accomplish in today's game.

The art of the deal

To me it isn't a matter of "Does Will Cuylle deserve a similar contract with the Rangers?", it's "when will the team make it their priority to do so?". In their current state, the lineup currently possesses a handful of players in their early 30's, with a recently bolstered crop of prospects that is nowhere near the top of the NHL in terms of future potential. This means it would be imperative to build around homegrown talent, and righting the historic wrongdoing when it comes to player handling.

I've not met one fan who would simply trade away Cuylle if it meant getting anything less than a star player in a package deal. His effort is unquestioned, and can pivot his style of game when the situation calls for it. A deal maturing before he is pushed to RFA status, or even worse an arbitration hearing, would be the best result for both sides.

That's not to say the Rangers should hand Will Cuylle an extension tomorrow. At the time of writing this, the Rangers have less than $1 million dollars in cap space for this season, though they do have some players I would expect to see gone as early as the deadline. Any deal would kick in the following year, but the Rangers would still need to plan things out to account for that. Notably Urho Vaakanainen, who only eats up a small percentage of the cap, seems to be the odd man out on defense at the moment. The team was also careful not to extend Braden Schneider long term, and could be an attractive trade chip to utilize as we inch closer to the deadline. Guys like Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno were brought in on one year deals and occupy a combined $5.7 million as one year free agent additions.

The Rangers front brass have their work cut out for them. Timing an extension for Will Cuylle perfectly will be almost as valuable as what figure they decide on. Leaving a salary arbiter out of the equation is good business for both parties. Nobody would enjoy pleading their value while their employer low balls them. The front office also can't afford to strip away pieces before the deadline if this team is somehow in contention for a playoff spot just to hand that money out to someone currently under contract. An ideal time frame would be sometime after the season, but before the RFA process to ensure a smooth relationship going forward.

With the uncertainty of what this next season will bring, the important thing to remember is that no team stays perfectly in tact for a decade straight. The NHL is, after all, a business. Each team has to make decisions every year about who to keep for the long haul, and when it's time to say goodbye.

The next few months will be crucial to evaluate where the organization feels it is amongst other NHL teams, and for players like Cuylle, will serve as a proving ground to cement his role with the team for the future. If he can register somewhere in the range of 25+ goals with roughly 50 points, a deal like what Fraser Minten got would be smart for both sides.

The team is undoubtably better when he's playing to his potential, and a long term contract would give a full bode of confidence for him to continue developing in New York. When it comes time for that conversation, the team should take a hard look around the league to see how other teams handle their promising young players; honestly and fairly.

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