NY Rangers' Young Forward Still Has Plenty to Prove

The New York Rangers have a young forward who still has a lot to prove.

Mar 14, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; New York Rangers forward Noah Laba (42) celebrates his power play goal against the Minnesota Wild with forward Gabe Perreault (94), forward Will Cuylle (50), and defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov (44) during the first period at Grand Casino Arena. / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

As the New York Rangers prepare for next season, it is going to be key that some of the young players on the team continue to get better. 

While the 2025-26 season was a disaster for the most part, there were some bright spots for the Rangers. At the end of the year, things seemingly started to get going for the franchise. Key players like Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin finally were healthy, and the offense also started to find ways to put the puck in the net. 

New York started to play better down the stretch, and that might have ended up costing them a bit in terms of draft position. However, it was an indication that, despite having the worst record in the Eastern Conference, they weren’t the worst team. 

Going forward, while changes will undoubtedly be made this summer, the team also has some young talent that they hope will take a step forward. One of the key players that they hope to see more from is forward Will Cuylle.

What Cuylle Can Be Remains Uncertain

New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The second-round pick from the 2020 NHL Draft remains a bit of an unknown for the Rangers heading into the 2026-27 campaign. In his sophomore season in 2024-25, he was able to have a breakout year, totaling 45 points with 20 goals and 25 assists. 

This was an extremely encouraging sign for both him and the franchise, with it appearing like he was going to be able to be a solid top-six forward. However, while he was able to record the same amount of goals in his third year, he saw a drop off in assists and had seven fewer points than the year prior. 

With it being his third year in the league, there was undoubtedly some hope that he would be taking a step forward. Instead, it was a bit of a lateral move. While a 20-goal season is still good, the Rangers were likely hoping for him to continue to develop. 

Now, as the team heads into the 2026-27 campaign, Cuylle is an interesting player to watch. He clearly has shown that he has the upside to be a top-six forward, but there is also the possibility that he might have peaked, and what was seen this year is what he will be going forward. Hopefully, at just 24 years old, he will be able to improve a bit more and really prove that he deserves to be in the top six.