WILL CUYLLE
On September 23, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson asked New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan if there was a winger he would consider moving to center in a pinch, since the Rangers were not likely to carry a fifth center.
The Blueshirts entered last night’s game against the St. Louis Blues on a four-game losing streak. To “effect change,” Sullivan had Cuylle centering the third line between veterans Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen. The three combined on Bjorkstrand’s beautiful tic-tac-toe goal in the third period helping lead the Rangers to a 3-1 victory.
Cuylle, who later admitted he was nervous playing his first professional game in the middle, finished the night with an assist, three shots, a blocked shot, and four hits. As a result of the move, Noah Laba shifted to the fourth line, becoming the fourth player after Cole Beaudoin, Justin Dowling, and Luke Glendening to try and replace the injured Joe Veleno.
It’s only one game, a 3-1 victory, but it appears as if a beat writer’s question may have presented the Rangers with the potential solution to their bottom-six puzzle.
MATT REMPE
Matt Rempe has been a polarizing figure since he debuted for the Rangers against the New York Islanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, February 18, 2024.
At times he’s looked clumsy and slow. Other times he’s struggled to stay out of the penalty box. And at still other times, you wonder if he is ever going to figure out how to use his size to win a fight.
The reason I haven’t given up on him is how he played, with linemates Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom, during the first eight games of the 2025-26 season. He was playing north of 10 minutes per night as an effective forechecker, puck retriever, and net-front presence. Sullivan even gave him time on PP2 until an ill-fated punch on Ryan Reaves’ helmet led to multiple thumb injuries and a wasted season.
Again, it’s only one game, but last night against the Blues, Rempe looked closer to that version of himself. As Dave Maloney said on MSG Network, playing with two good skaters in Jaroslav Chmelar and Noah Laba forced him to play with pace.
Sullivan should give Rempe some run and keep that trio together for a few weeks to see if the can trust them with important minutes.
DYLAN GARAND
Dylan Garand took this past Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers to heart. The loss was the Rangers fourth consecutive loss and Garand felt responsible. “I just felt like I was overthinking a little there,” Garand said in the post-game locker room. “Honestly, I felt really, really good in the second 30 minutes, and I thought my first 30 minutes was awful. Honestly, inexcusable. Let the guys down. Pretty disappointing, put that loss on me.”
Igor Shesterkin’s injury was a nightmare, but Garand’s first six starts were a dream. He went 4-1-1, giving up two or fewer goals in five games before cooling off during the losing streak (though James Reimer started one of those contests).
Maloney made another astute observation during the Blues game when he said not every Rangers homegrown goalie is going to be Henrik Lundqvist or Igor Shesterkin. He’s right. The Blueshirts are not expecting Joonas Korpisalo or Garand to play at an All-Star level, but they need competent goaltending to contend for the playoffs.
That’s why Garand’s last 72 hours have been so promising. First, the 24-year-old rookie exhibited accountability after the loss to the Oilers, then he makes 32 saves to beat the Blues. His bounce-back performance gave him his fifth win of the season to go with a 2.57 GAA and .905 SV%.
SCOTT MORROW
The 24-year-old played in his first two games of the season against the Oilers and Blues. In a total of 27:11 of ice time, he had an assist, five shots and registered a plus-3 rating. More importantly, he didn’t make any costly defensive mistakes. “Scotty has played well,” Sullivan commented. “I think his pace is better. I think he’s quicker. He’s closing on people”.
The right-shot defenseman is stuck behind Adam Fox, Sean Durzi, and Braden Schneider on the Rangers’ depth chart. His opportunity occurred due to an undisclosed injury to Durzi. Unfortunately, this is becoming commonplace as Durzi has now missed 74 games over the last 2+ NHL seasons.
With that type of uncertainty, Morrow’s growth takes on greater importance. It’s a small sample size, but just like Cuylle, Rempe, and Garand, it’s encouraging.
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