Will Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers

The NY Rangers preseason is over, and it was a bit of a rough one. The Rangers went 1-5, looked disoriented a bunch while having some flashes of good play. One of the lone bright spots in preseason, except for the stellar play of Jonathan Quick, has been Will Cuylle. Tyler has called him out as a bright spot in each of his reviews, and it’s shown that Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers.

Those who are a bit more rational with the Rangers essentially expected the Blueshirts to have a learning curve out of the gate, including preseason. So seeing Cuylle do everything he needed to make the Rangers was a nice cherry on top of the brutal preseason for the Rangers. And let’s be clear, Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers.

How do we know that Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers? It’s pretty simple actually. The only reason being given to the contrary is that the Rangers “can’t afford to lose” Jonny Brodzinski on waivers. To be brutally honest, if that is the only reason that people can think of, not only is it not good enough, but it’s proof enough that Cuylle deserves to make the Rangers, if he hasn’t already.

I like Brodzinski. I think he should have been the 4C last year, shifting Barclay Goodrow to wing in the playoffs. But Brodzinski isn’t a kid. He’s 30 years old, 31 in January. As much as I like the guy, a career tweener isn’t someone you worry about losing on waivers. He isn’t Zac Jones, or even Libor Hajek. At least Hajek was young (by NHL standards).

At the very least, Cuylle has at least earned that third line spot to start the season.  Even if he doesn’t stick, Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers out of camp. He’s outplayed half the starting roster, if not more. He’s outplayed everyone currently vying for his (Brodzinski’s? Pitlick’s?) spot.

Peter Laviolette isn’t Gerard Gallant. Cuylle will play to start the season, most likely on the third line. There will be growing pains, and he will be a healthy scratch here and there. That’s fine. After all, the Rangers do need to get Tyler Pitlick, their projected 13F, some games.

Cuylle gives the Rangers a much more well rounded third line over the other options (Jimmy Vesey, notably). This is a good thing for the Rangers. Not just for roster construction, but because Cuylle deserved to make the Rangers.