New York Rangers 2024-25 Report Cards: Grading Will Cuylle

Will Cuylle is still one of the newer players on the New York Rangers team, but he improved his game from the previous season. He led the Rangers in hits and was at the top of the roster for many other stats. According to his “exit day” interview, he wants to work hard over the off-season so he can improve his game even more. Based on his performance this season, his report card shows that he is the team's most improved player.

Expectations

At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, expectations were at an all-time high for this rookie. Cuylle had only played with the Rangers for one full season before this one, so he was still considered relatively new this season. Cuylle quickly became a top favorite on the team due to his outstanding performance on the ice. The expectations for Cuylle would have the Rangers in a good spot stat-wise, because he brought a lot to the team.

Cuylle is fresh young blood and is only 23 years old. He started his professional career on the Rangers’ AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Cuylle packs a punch with the energy and momentum he brings to the ice. He never plays short; he plays to win. Cuylle is a powerful player, and he has the most potential to make a difference, especially considering his young age. So much room to grow. Every time he steps onto the ice as a Ranger, he improves on his skills. This season, fans saw Cuylle get his hands dirty with some super intense hits to the opposing team and winning fights to keep the barn entertained.

Performance

His stats don’t lie. Cuylle had 20 goals this season, up from 13 the previous season. That’s over 53% more than last year. That’s what Cuylle brings; he does the work, and it shows. He also saw an increase in assists, finishing with 25 this year after tallying just 8 the year prior. Additionally, he more than doubled his points, from 21 in the previous season to 45 this season. He also was tied for 5th in most goals, sharing that with his teammate Mika Zibanejad.

Cuylle is not afraid of interacting with opposing teams, as he led the team with a total of 301 for the season. Vincent Trocheck finished right behind him, sitting at 214 hits. Cuylle came up on top.

On top of that, he had the best plus/minus on the team, with +12, and the next closest players were at +9. And last for hyping Cuylle up, he was awarded the Steven McDonald Extra Effort award this season. This award is nominated by Rangers fans and is given to the player who goes the extra mile, bringing passion and electricity to the team and the ice. That’s Cuylle.

Cuylle’s report card grade is a simple A-. An A grade is great, the minus is there for his lack of consistency. He is getting better, but being more consistent would earn him an A or an A+. Cuylle has to have something to work for, so giving him an A- should motivate him to push the extra mile to be given an A+ at the end of the next season. There is always room to improve, but in college terms, he aced that class. The Rangers had an unlucky season, so coming out with good stats for himself and his team from a bad season is pretty incredible for Cuylle.

Where Cuylle Goes From Here

The season is over, and now Cuylle will have to recover and revamp to keep expectations high. In the off-season, he will try to improve his game. Cuylle will take everything he learned this season and use it to his full potential, preparing for the next season. The players only get the summer off, and a new season will be here before they know it. Cuylle sets high expectations for himself and will work on all of his improvement areas. He will fine-tune them to make sure he can give the fans, New York, and the Rangers team his very best. Consistency is something he hopes to get better at. Executing good plays every game, not every other. He always wants to be on and make sure that he is providing for the team. The penalty kill is something he wants to get better at. It’s educational to know that Cuylle knows precisely what to work on for his break. That’s a determined player right there, and the next season will show it.