Tye Kartye strong start to Rangers tenure raises question on role for future

With how poorly the New York Rangers' season has gone, fans have to look for the positives. Gabe Perreault growing into a top six forward for the foreseeable future and Alexis Lafreniere being on fire since his return from the Olympic break have been two bright spots. But there has been a new addition that has been hot, and that's forward Tye Kartye.

Kartye was claimed by the Rangers in late February after being placed on waivers by the Seattle Kraken, and has been one of the team's top producers since making his debut with the team. His most recent outing saw him score a goal in the team's 3-2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

Through 12 games with the Rangers, Kartye has three goals and five assists to his credit. This is the exact stat line Kartye has in 40 games with the Kraken this season. With this strong stretch of play, does Kartye factor into the Rangers' plans for the future?

Tye Kartye giving Rangers reason to be factor in team's future plans

The Rangers have already let it be known they are planning to retool the roster. They got a headstart on that by trading away the likes of Artemi Panarin, Carson Soucy, and Sam Carrick before the trade deadline. There is still work to be done in the offseason.

There is no superstar waiting for the Rangers in free agency, as they all re-signed with their current teams before the start of the season. We're talking about the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov. So that was a gigantic hit to their plans next summer. With the team careening down to last place in the Eastern Conference, it helped push them towards their retool.

General Manager Chris Drury is no stranger to taking a chance on talents that make their way onto the waiver wire. He did so earlier this season with defenseman Vincent Iorio, who was on the San Jose Sharks. Last month, Drury did so again by putting in a claim for Kartye, and he's quickly solidified his spot on the third line. He's even earned the praise of team captain J.T. Miller, who has been serving as the third line center recently.

“Just his speed. I like playing with guys like that, that are relentless and a very good forechecker. Backs the D off, even if he doesn’t have the puck, he’s backing him off because he’s slashing out or whatever. It’s a simple game. I like playing with him and [Conor Sheary]. Like when we get chances, try to play below the hash marks and grind the game down. Don’t make it too difficult on ourselves. Tye had a big game today. He was a big part of the success we had," said Miller, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

The good news for the Rangers is that Kartye is under contract for one more season before officially becoming a restricted free agent. This gives the team more time to evaluate Kartye. Yes, he's shining early on thus far and seems like a firm lock for the third line, let's not forget that there are other factors.

As mentioned earlier, the Rangers still need to take further steps into their retool. The team didn't trade Vincent Trocheck, who was expected to be the top trade deadline target. The Rangers are banking on a team giving the Rangers a premium trade package in return. There is also the possibility of Adam Fox being dealt. As brutal as that would be, Fox hasn't committed to being part of the team's future. The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano reported that Fox wants to evaluate the state of the Rangers roster before making a commitment.

If both Trocheck and Fox are dealt, that could mean a big influx of young talent, potentially top, pro-ready prospects. In that case, a player like Kartye could lose out on a roster spot. Let's not forget the potential battle for roster spots out of training camp.

But if Kartye is to keep up at his current pace, he could make it hard for Sullivan to remove from the lineup heading into next season. Make no mistake about it, in a completely lost season, Kartye has been one of the few, lone bright spots on the roster as of late.