There's a lot that can be said about the New York Rangers' offseason, the players they acquired, the expectations that await, and the general state of the team, but I think the most important name that isn't being talked about is Tye Kartye.
The Rangers added Pavel Dorofeyev, and he's coming off two seasons in which he scored 35 goals or more. Alberts Smits was drafted No. 5 overall, and there's a chance he makes the team out of training camp. While both are important for different reasons, both are being talked about in some regard. Kartye, on the other hand, is flying under the radar. He may seem like a random name to focus on, but when you think really hard about it, it makes more sense than you might otherwise think.
Kartye is the team's underrated X-factor
As of this moment, Elite Prospects, Daily Faceoff and Puck Pedia all have Kartye penciled in as the Rangers' fourth line left wing. I think the biggest reason for this designation is the fact that Taylor Raddysh remains on the roster, otherwise Kartye would be an easy option to bump up.
The Rangers ended last season with a trio of Kartye along with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle, and the line had some decent success. Kartye averaged 14:04 in his 24 games with the Blueshirts, and finished with five goals, nine assists, 14 points, and a points per game average of 0.58 which would be 49 points over an 84-game season.
Do I think he's going to have this type of success this season? Probably not. However, Kartye had 45 goals and 79 points during his final OHL season, and he also had 28 goals and 57 points in his first season with Coachella Valley in the American Hockey League. At age 25, conventionally wisdom would suggest that he's unlikely to become a top-six player. That being said, his success or lack thereoff could have a ripple effect on the roster.
The potential ripples Kartye's performance could cause
I am not exactly sure when it is going to happen, but I'd anticipate Liam Greentree getting a look on the roster at somepoint in 2026-27. My best guess is that barring an amazing training camp and preseason he will take the ice toward the middle of the season in 2027. The Rangers will need to exhaust a few options before they break glass in case of emergency for Greentree, and Kartye to me could play a role in that.
Oliver Bjorkstrand is a capable NHL veteran who has scored more than 20 goals six times while coming close a few others, and he is penciled in as a top-six option. He had 12 goals and 32 points last year in Tampa Bay, and that production along with 13:38 per game is what you'd love to get from someone on your third line.
It is possible that we could see a world in which Kartye gets off to a hot start, Bjorkstrand doesn't fit in, and then the two flip flop in the lineup. At that point the job would be Kartye's to lose, and such success would essentially keep youngsters in Hartford. I say this because I feel that Bjorkstrand in many ways is a placeholder until a better option becomes available, or once a youngster forces the issue down in Hartford.
Will Cuylle has had a number of chances to claim a spot in the top six, and with him in a contract year, it wouldn't shock me if the Rangers are ever so eager to give him a chance to be more productive and command a higher price tag for his next contract.
Technically speaking... I do think there's a slim possibility that a situation could present itself for the Rangers to acquire a first line winger, and in that case you'd have someone (Dorofeyev or Alexis Lafrenière) move down to line two, and then everyone else shifts into another spot.
Kartye represents an opportunity for a diamond in the rough late bloomer
I don't think it will end up happening, but there's been talk about who the next Brandon Hagel could be. Hagel was picked in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, and wasn't expected to turn into the player he did. Hagel had 102 points in his final WHL season, an improvement upon the 59 in 56 and the 71 in 65 he had the two years prior, and his rookie AHL season included 31 points in 59 games with Rockford.
He hit the NHL in 2020-21, and finished with a line of 9-15-24 in 52 games and followed that up with 21-16-37 in 55 games before the Blackhawks traded him to Tampa Bay where he had six points in 22 regular season games and six points in 23 playoff games. His first full season in Tampa saw him hit a new career high in points with 64, he followed that up with 75, followed that up with 90, and ended last season with 36 goals and 74 points in 71 games.
Again... I DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN. However, just as a reminder... Kartye had 79 poiints in his final OHL season, 57 in his rookie AHL season, and then had 11 goals and 20 points in his rookie season with Seattle.
What's happened between then and when he arrived in New York is nothing like Hagel's breakout, but I think the Rangers are going to give him a chance to develop into something more. Even if that something is diet Hagel. At 6'1" and 198 pounds he is pretty feist, and anything Hagel-like he can provide the Rangers certainly wouldn't hate that.
Heck... there's always the possibility they see that he can be a cheaper and potentially more effective version of Cuylle whose future with the team is unknown.
In any case... I think what Kartye does or doesn't do will have a chain reaction on the roster. It's one of those things I've given a great deal of thought to, so consider me planting my flag early on this. Let's check back in a few months, at which point I will end up having looked really smart or really dumb.
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