The New York Rangers have taken care of business with an important restricted free agent, and a player who could be a significant part of their future. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers and Will Cuylle have come to terms on a two-year deal that will pay him nearly $4 million per season.
Hearing the NYR have agreed to terms with Will Cuylle
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2025
2 x $3.9M
If the Rangers had more cap space, a long-term deal for Cuylle would have made a lot of sense. Instead, it's a cost-effective bridge deal that avoids the risk of an offer sheet pic.twitter.com/fhJiDzMVvq
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) July 1, 2025
Cuylle is coming off a career year in which he scored 20 goals, he recorded 25 assists and 45 points in 82 games. He accomplished this skating just 15:05 per game, and the majority of his points came at even strength.
The season prior Cuylle scored 13 goals and added 8 assists for 21 points in 81 games while skating just 11:08 per game, so his surge in scoring with increased ice time is a good sign. Cuylle averaged 2.10 points per 60 at 5v5 which was up from 1.23 the previous season. Cuylle also posted 54.86 goals for percentage, a 49.64 Corsi for percentage, and a 48.36 expected goals for percentage per Evolving-Hockey.
Cuylle projects to be a member of the Rangers' top six next season, assuming there are no other additions. He was the third man on a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad following the Rangers acquisition of their former draft pick from Vancouver back in January, and the trio was very productive.
The Rangers have a chance to evaluate Cuylle under new head coach Mike Sullivan this season, and see what is possible for the young winger going forward. At one point in time the team was interested in JJ Peterka, but Cuylle is a player who is very competent in his own way. The goal for this upcoming season is to see if he's able to hit the 20-goal plateau once again, and it would be a plus to see if he can exceed 50 points.