As the New York Rangers season comes to an end, we have seen plenty of players come and go throughout the lineup. Gone are the likes of Sam Carrick and Artemi Panarin, replaced by the Rangers young talent via waivers (Tye Kartye) and Adam Sykora, their second round pick in 2022. One thing I’ve noticed from the fanbase (less so from management, thankfully) is the immediate latching onto this new Rangers young talent. I appreciate fans wanting to have young talent to root for, but I believe that tempered expectations are key.
Sykora has been excellent in his first few games as a Ranger, but we’re talking about a player who will at best have a career as a third liner, and at worst be a career AHL player after a cup of coffee in the NHL. Jaro Chmelar has been a great fit on the fourth line, where he will likely play his NHL career barring trips to the AHL. Drew Fortescue looking like a fit on defense is great! His best case scenario is a third pair defenseman.
This is not an attempt to tell fans not to enjoy the remaining games in this horrible season! I simply wish to caution that fans tend to overrate prospects, and the Rangers young talent is no different. A perfect example here is Will Cuylle. Cuylle took the NHL by storm in his first full season, definitely outperforming expectations. Since that season, Cuylle has taken steps back, yet consistently continues to get opportunities others aren’t getting.
The reality is two fold. First is Cuylle was never projected to be any better than a third line forward. Second is that development is not linear. As of now, his play has not demonstrated being better than a third line forward. Still, he had a good season, so the Rangers counted on him to be that player. The counter argument is the Rangers are hot trash, but even in this little resurgence in March, Cuylle has been notably quiet.
That’s the point with the Rangers young talent like Sykora, Fortescue, Kartye, and others. They can get off to great starts in their respective NHL careers. That’s excellent for them and excellent for the organization. But repertoire matters. Reports matter. There’s a reason when Gabe Perreault was promoted it was a huge deal to the fans and organizationally. There’s a reason Alexis Lafreniere gets chance after chance on the top line. They are supposed to be excellent NHL players and headline the Rangers young talent.
If Sykora plays two, three successful seasons as a third liner, then great. Perhaps he’s the next Jesper Fast, a super valuable player on cheap contracts. But if he’s already considered a lock for next year’s club, then there’s a greater chance for him to take a step back than a step forward. On a good team, Sykora is break in case of emergency, not skating out in introductions in night one. At least right now.
While this may just be an exercise in tempering expectations, it’s perfectly fine to enjoy the rest of the season and keep an eye on the Rangers young talent. They’re bound to be back at some point or another. My only hope is that they’re ready, not just being counted on because it’s the easy way to build the roster. They have value and it’s given us hope for a prospect system supposedly lacking NHL ready players. But most of the kids in the lineup project to be bottom of the lineup players. That’s fine! Let’s just remember that come this offseason when other moves are made.
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