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Rangers shift Cuylle to center: ‘Never seen my number in middle before’
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- Rangers shift Cuylle to center: ‘Never seen my number in middle before’
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The old cliche is that desperate times call for desperate measures. And though the New York Rangers are going through a difficult stretch right now, moving winger Will Cuylle to center is viewed by some as a desperate move by coach Mike Sullivan.
That's one way to look at it.
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But it feels more like a veteran coach trying to shake things up a bit, try something different with a limited roster, in order to help bring an end to a four-game losing streak.
Moving Cuylle to center, a position he's never played before at any level, is a thinking-outside-the-box idea, one that Sullivan admitted may not last long Tuesday when the Rangers host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden.
"We could flip it back in one shift if we wanted to," Sullivan explained Monday . "We thought we would try it in practice today and see what it looks like. We'll have a discussion and decide whether we want to keep it or not. But it's an option for us. I've had a talk with Will about it. I think he's excited about the opportunity. He thinks he can be good at it. I tend to agree with him."
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Perhaps the best way to approach this news is to follow Cuylle's lead. Like with most things, the 24-year-old isn't too worked up about it.
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"I've taken face-offs and stuff, sometimes you get stuck as the low forward, but never seen my number in the middle before," he said nonchalantly after practice.
"I think it's just a little different for me. I think it can be good. … I'm still going to try and play my game which is physical, hard-nosed, and responsible in the D-zone. I don't see my game changing much. It's just a different position."
The Rangers are thin at the center position. That's both on Broadway and throughout the organizational pipeline. Even more so now that fourth-line pivot Joe Veleno is out at least until January with a lower-body injury, and 20-year-old rookie Cole Beaudoin is sidelined down at Hartford of the American Hockey League with an upper-body issue.
Add to the mix that Noah Laba's inability to generate offense as the third-line center — he's without a goal and has just four assists in 15 games — put a drag on that line, and, well, you can see that Sullivan needed to scramble to find a creative solution down the middle.
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So, Laba practiced on the fourth line Monday, bumping veteran Luke Glendening from the lineup it appears. Glendening saw three games of action since signing as a free agent, and played a hard north-south game in limited minutes. The 37-year-old veteran center won each of his five face-offs in a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, and is at 75 percent (15 of 20) since joining the team.
But Glendening averaged fewer than eight minutes TOI in those three games. Moving Laba to the fourth line, and Cuylle to the middle of the third line, could be a sign that the Rangers want to spread the ice time out more evenly throughout the lineup.
However, it's also a sign that Sullivan isn't thrilled with Laba's overall game nor lack of production.
"I think 'Labs' game has been a little bit of a mixed bag. I think he's had moments when he's been very effective for us. I think there's been other moments where it's been a little bit of a struggle for him," the coach said. "I guess the biggest point of contention would just be consistency. Labs is a good player. We rely on him in a lot of situations. But I do think that it's important to bring a certain level of consistency to your game on both sides of the puck game in, game out, to help our group have success."
Rangers moving Will Cuylle to center worth a try
On Monday, Cuylle centered veteran wings Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen . He's played with each on the opposite wing on New York's third line this season. So, there's familiarity there, not to mention more of an offensive boost to the bottom six with this grouping. Bjorkstrand is second on the Rangers with five goals, and Cuylle is tied for third with four. Tolvanen hasn't scored in 11 games, after starting out with three goals in four games (two into the empty net).
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Cuylle does have excellent chemistry with Laba, especially defensively and on the forecheck. But Laba just may not be enough of a playmaker to bring out the best in Cuylle, who scored 20 goals each of the past two seasons. Expect them to continue killing penalties together.
Short-handed goal for New York!
Scored by Will Cuylle with 09:53 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Noah Laba.
OTT: 3 | NYR: 1 #NYRvsOTT #GoSensGo #NYR pic.twitter.com/HRIhBEfFLR— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 25, 2026
As for one of the most important jobs a center has, taking face-offs, Cuylle's actually been pretty good in that area this season. Through 15 games, he won 53.8 percent of his 39 face-offs. Thirteen of those (10 power play, three short-handed) were on special teams, and the other 26 at even strength stepping in from time to time.
When asked if he spoke with veteran Rangers centers J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad about playing the position, Cuylle was kind of sheepish.
"No, not yet. Maybe I should," he said. "I have [picked their brains] about face-offs before."
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Cuylle did add that not much changes in the offensive zone for him, whether he's at center or on the wing. But back in his own is where there'll be some nuanced differences.
"I like to think I'm pretty responsible defensively, so i think that's the biggest difference, in the D-zone," he explained. "I think I have a good idea of what to do. It's just a matter of going out there and applying it."
This move to center for one of New York's hardest working players is worth a shot. Maybe the Rangers find something there that, even in the short term, provides a wrinkle that turns into a spark. And if not, there are worse options that reuniting Cuylle with Laba.
It's not a panic move. This is a creative approach to try and solve a problem.
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