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TARRYTOWN - Since being selected by fans as the winner of the 2024-25 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, a highlight of Will Cuylle blowing up Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and immediately dropping the gloves with Nicolas Hague has been recirculating on social media.
"Strong on my feet, keep your arms down and go through the chest," the 23-year-old forward said when asked to relive the Feb. 2 hit.
He let a slight smile slip and added, "That one was big."
That it was, with the hardcore sequence illustrating Cuylle's toughness in one shareable clip. But that was just one of the 281 hits he's dished out this season.
He sits only four away from tying the Rangers' single-season record of 285, which former captain and four-time Steven McDonald Award winner Ryan Callahan set in 2009-10.
As Cuylle explained, they can't all turn into GIFs the way the Pietrangelo hit did. But if administered effectively − and repeatedly − those relentless body checks can swing possession rates and have an accumulation effect.
"You can't kill guys every game," he said following Friday's practice at the MSG Training Center. "The majority of hits are right after a guy passes it, or it's at his feet, and just trying to finish guys on the forecheck. It's more like disrupting plays and trying to get turnovers from them, too. Most of them aren't big and flashy and make the highlights, but they lead to turnovers, and they definitely wear D-men down. You could ask the D – going back when a guy dumps a puck in, they don't want to get hit four, five, six times a night by one guy that's coming in heavy. It definitely adds up, especially in playoff series. By Game 5, 6, 7, I wouldn’t want to get hit anymore."
Cuylle's average of 14.9 hits per 60 minutes played leads the Rangers and ranks 14th in the NHL among players who have appeared in at least 50 games this season, but physicality alone isn't what earned him the esteemed award.
In a deeply frustrating season that's seen New York tumble in the standings and led to players questioning their own effort after several embarrassing losses, the 6-foot-3, 212-pounder has been one of the very few constants.
"It's just giving your all every shift," Cuylle said. "I try to finish my hit every time I can. Make sure I'm skating as hard as I can on the forecheck. Not gliding and taking any shifts off. I try to earn everything I get. That's always how I've tried to approach things. … You never know when it could be your last shift."
Postgame takeaways: Rangers capture OT win in Gabe Perreault's debut
Cuylle may be the only Ranger who can fairly claim he's having a better season than he did the year prior, with plenty of evidence to back that claim up.
In his second full NHL season, he leads the team with 79 individual high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, and is tied for second with 14 goals at 5v5 − despite logging over 160 minutes less than the players with the same tally.
He's up to 39 total points (18 goals and 21 assists) through 75 games, with a chance to hit the 20G/40P plateau if he can notch two more goals.
"Milestones or not, I want to contribute whenever I can to help the team win," he said. "A goal or two down the stretch here is going to make a big difference in one-goal games. But those are two pretty cool milestones for me to hit, if I could do that. I’m working on it."
Factor in being one of the few New York forwards who rates as a plus on the forecheck and defensively, as well as his increased usage on the penalty kill this season − where his 7.09 xGA/60 ranks first among the team's regular PK forwards − and you have what Cuylle described as "a well-rounded game."
"The more you bring, you just make yourself more valuable," he added.
The Rangers will have to determine just how valuable Cuylle is this summer, when he's set to become a restricted free agent for the first time.
He doesn't have arbitration rights yet and there will be motivation to keep his average annual value relatively low, but team president Chris Drury must also guard against the possibility of an offer sheet. He's just the type of player who could tempt an opposing general manager, especially given a tight salary cap situation that could make it difficult for the Rangers to match.
It'll be a top priority to retain Cuylle, who head coach Peter Laviolette said "exemplifies how you want your team to play." Both Drury and Laviolette have been trying to move the team toward a play style that's grittier and more direct, with No. 50 fitting that mold as well as anyone on the current roster.
He's trending toward achieving the desired blend of beef and scoring, in the same vein as the player Cuylle memorably identified as looking up to on his 2020 draft day − Washington Capitals power winger Tom Wilson.
"If you can push 20 goals, 25 goals, 30 goals, and then still be an effective, physical presence out there, those players are unique," Laviolette said.
Cuylle proudly pointed to the impact of his draft class, noting that five have already broken through to the Rangers − him and fellow forwards Alexis Lafrenière (No. 1 overall), Brett Berard (No. 134) and Matt Rempe (No. 165), plus defenseman Braden Schneider (No. 19) − with goalie Dylan Garand (No. 103) knocking on the door.
That's a feather in the cap of fired GM Jeff Gorton, who traded back into the second round to snag Cuylle at No. 60 overall and turn his final draft with the Rangers into his best. You could argue that none of those players have equaled the impact of Cuylle this season, with his extra effort standing out as one of the few bright spots.
"I always wanted to know I would be the hardest worker on the team," he said. "No one can really take anything away from you if you're working hard. There's guys that are super skilled and whatever, but I always just wanted my identity to be, ‘Make sure you're the hardest working one in the room.’ Good things will happen to you if you can do that every night."
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Will Cuylle approaches NY Rangers hits record amid standout season
Continue reading...
"Strong on my feet, keep your arms down and go through the chest," the 23-year-old forward said when asked to relive the Feb. 2 hit.
He let a slight smile slip and added, "That one was big."
That it was, with the hardcore sequence illustrating Cuylle's toughness in one shareable clip. But that was just one of the 281 hits he's dished out this season.
He sits only four away from tying the Rangers' single-season record of 285, which former captain and four-time Steven McDonald Award winner Ryan Callahan set in 2009-10.
As Cuylle explained, they can't all turn into GIFs the way the Pietrangelo hit did. But if administered effectively − and repeatedly − those relentless body checks can swing possession rates and have an accumulation effect.
"You can't kill guys every game," he said following Friday's practice at the MSG Training Center. "The majority of hits are right after a guy passes it, or it's at his feet, and just trying to finish guys on the forecheck. It's more like disrupting plays and trying to get turnovers from them, too. Most of them aren't big and flashy and make the highlights, but they lead to turnovers, and they definitely wear D-men down. You could ask the D – going back when a guy dumps a puck in, they don't want to get hit four, five, six times a night by one guy that's coming in heavy. It definitely adds up, especially in playoff series. By Game 5, 6, 7, I wouldn’t want to get hit anymore."
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Cuylle's average of 14.9 hits per 60 minutes played leads the Rangers and ranks 14th in the NHL among players who have appeared in at least 50 games this season, but physicality alone isn't what earned him the esteemed award.
In a deeply frustrating season that's seen New York tumble in the standings and led to players questioning their own effort after several embarrassing losses, the 6-foot-3, 212-pounder has been one of the very few constants.
"It's just giving your all every shift," Cuylle said. "I try to finish my hit every time I can. Make sure I'm skating as hard as I can on the forecheck. Not gliding and taking any shifts off. I try to earn everything I get. That's always how I've tried to approach things. … You never know when it could be your last shift."
Postgame takeaways: Rangers capture OT win in Gabe Perreault's debut
Cuylle may be the only Ranger who can fairly claim he's having a better season than he did the year prior, with plenty of evidence to back that claim up.
In his second full NHL season, he leads the team with 79 individual high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, and is tied for second with 14 goals at 5v5 − despite logging over 160 minutes less than the players with the same tally.
He's up to 39 total points (18 goals and 21 assists) through 75 games, with a chance to hit the 20G/40P plateau if he can notch two more goals.
"Milestones or not, I want to contribute whenever I can to help the team win," he said. "A goal or two down the stretch here is going to make a big difference in one-goal games. But those are two pretty cool milestones for me to hit, if I could do that. I’m working on it."
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Factor in being one of the few New York forwards who rates as a plus on the forecheck and defensively, as well as his increased usage on the penalty kill this season − where his 7.09 xGA/60 ranks first among the team's regular PK forwards − and you have what Cuylle described as "a well-rounded game."
"The more you bring, you just make yourself more valuable," he added.
The Rangers will have to determine just how valuable Cuylle is this summer, when he's set to become a restricted free agent for the first time.
He doesn't have arbitration rights yet and there will be motivation to keep his average annual value relatively low, but team president Chris Drury must also guard against the possibility of an offer sheet. He's just the type of player who could tempt an opposing general manager, especially given a tight salary cap situation that could make it difficult for the Rangers to match.
It'll be a top priority to retain Cuylle, who head coach Peter Laviolette said "exemplifies how you want your team to play." Both Drury and Laviolette have been trying to move the team toward a play style that's grittier and more direct, with No. 50 fitting that mold as well as anyone on the current roster.
He's trending toward achieving the desired blend of beef and scoring, in the same vein as the player Cuylle memorably identified as looking up to on his 2020 draft day − Washington Capitals power winger Tom Wilson.
"If you can push 20 goals, 25 goals, 30 goals, and then still be an effective, physical presence out there, those players are unique," Laviolette said.
Cuylle proudly pointed to the impact of his draft class, noting that five have already broken through to the Rangers − him and fellow forwards Alexis Lafrenière (No. 1 overall), Brett Berard (No. 134) and Matt Rempe (No. 165), plus defenseman Braden Schneider (No. 19) − with goalie Dylan Garand (No. 103) knocking on the door.
That's a feather in the cap of fired GM Jeff Gorton, who traded back into the second round to snag Cuylle at No. 60 overall and turn his final draft with the Rangers into his best. You could argue that none of those players have equaled the impact of Cuylle this season, with his extra effort standing out as one of the few bright spots.
"I always wanted to know I would be the hardest worker on the team," he said. "No one can really take anything away from you if you're working hard. There's guys that are super skilled and whatever, but I always just wanted my identity to be, ‘Make sure you're the hardest working one in the room.’ Good things will happen to you if you can do that every night."
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Will Cuylle approaches NY Rangers hits record amid standout season
Continue reading...
