Make that five consecutive losses for this sinking New York Rangers club. They are a team that is completely unrecognizable from last season's Eastern Conference Finals exit, yet comprised of largely the same crew. What was once a group that would heave ho collectively, they now seem like individual members pushing and pulling the unit in different directions.
The season as a whole has been stormy, but the last week and a half has been excruciatingly bad. The Rangers have failed to start on time, failed to finish with any sort of urgency. After being outshot 15-4 and yielding 2 goals in the first five minutes of playing time of Friday’s matinee matchup in Philadelphia, the team has been outscored 7-2 in first period’s in the last 5 outings and just one third period goal to boot.
The stumbling Blueshirts have a negative shot differential in all 3 periods. They’ve allowed 30 or more shots in each of the last five outings. Nothing seems to be going right. Every pass seems off, every mistake is magnified exponentially. As a whole, the crew is fumbling, with the ship's captain in Jacob Trouba nowhere to be found.
The days of the infamous “helmet throw” are long gone for Trouba. The moment that turned the 2022-23 vessel around in a blowout loss to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks is not in Trouba’s repertoire this time.
The rest of the core veterans in Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck (who ended a 6-game drought without a point on Friday), and to a lesser extent Artemi Panarin seem unavailable for emotional investment as soon as the puck drops.
Cuylle's guiding presence
But all of that cannot overshadow the bright spot in the mist that is Will Cuylle. Cuylle, who assisted on the only goal in Philadelphia, now sits second (yes, you read that right) on the team in points this season. This year, Cuylle has posted nine goals and 10 helpers, all of which have come at even strength.Only a handful of players in the entire NHL have more goals at 5v5 this season than Cuylle’s nine. No other Rangers player has more than six goals at 5v5.
Cuylle is one of a select group of Rangers that are noticeable every time they take the ice, in a positive way of course. With speed being a question mark when the 22-year-old was drafted back in 2020, he has overcome whatever lack of footspeed with pure determination.
The youngster is a ferocious forechecker with a relentless attitude and a chip on his shoulder. He currently sits near the top of the league in hits, to go along with the aforementioned offensive prowess. Will Cuylle is part of the future of this organization.
With all of the trade chatter and outside noise surrounding this crew, Cuylle seems to be on an island as far as navigating this team in the direction they need to be going. At some point, changes will be made; that be trades, firings, and demotions/promotions. Whether the club reaches a situation as dire as they did in 2018, when they drafted “The Letter” to season ticket holders about the prospect of a rebuild, or if they make a change of course on the fly and adjust as needed, changes will certainly be made.
But through whatever alterations, or reconstructions, the team decides to undertake, Will Cuylle can be a part of the next generation of crew members. It can begin as soon as possible, with the allotment of ice time redistributed among the impactful members of the lineup and those who have become passengers. Cuylle should sit among the leaders in time on ice for forwards on this team, no question. That includes power play opportunities, where his hulking stature should fit perfectly in front of the blue paint.
The direction of the team is currently a question mark, but the Rangers organization does have one player guiding them towards becoming a legitimate contender.