The NY Rangers have been in a major slump, and none of us can deny that, so it was good to see them steal a win from the plummeting Buffalo Sabres. Still, if the Blueshirts want to return to relevance this season, they need to start making some changes, or else this campaign will be over before the team and their fans know it.
Yeah, they may hang out in “outer orbit” when it comes to the playoff race. But let’s not fool ourselves. The Metropolitan Division is too tough, and that means there must be a sense of urgency in Manhattan if this team is to save its season.
One way to do that is to give better performing players more ice time. Yeah, even if it’s counterintuitive, considering the overall value some players may have over others. Or, at least, that’s the case theoretically. Anyway, why not start to give someone like William Cuylle more time in the rink and less on the bench?
You may be getting tired of me talking about Will Cuylle since it’s been a recurring theme. But I’d have thought that, by mid-December, his magical season would have leveled out, right? I mean, doesn’t that happen? Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?
Why are the NY Rangers not giving Will Cuylle more ice time?
It was good to see Cuylle get 16:56 of ice time in that win over Buffalo, and now, the Rangers need to keep that pace going. No more of these 13:30 to 14:30 (roughly) games, as he’s been too valuable so far this season.
And okay, I get it: He’s a young player on a veteran team that’s loaded with stars. Or, at least, we thought they were loaded with stars until they decided to play subpar hockey. And yeah, he’s more physical than the most tenacious fourth-liner out there. But maybe it wouldn’t be a half-bad idea to have a bruiser consistently play at least 16-17 minutes per game.
Someone needs to give the Rangers a spark, and Cuylle doesn’t look like he or his productivity is going anywhere fast. That said, put the kid who’s already got 10 goals on the season and a 20.0 shooting percentage in there more often.
You know, one of those guys who can just strike a chord with opponents the second they see him coming. I’m telling you, it would be a crime against hockey if the Rangers aren’t strongly considering giving Cuylle a run at 16-plus minutes per contest from now until Christmas and maybe into the next year.