New York dealt with one of their main RFAs today, signing Will Cuylle to a 2 year extension that will average $3.9M per year. The extension comes after the team added free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov earlier in the day, along with veteran forward Justin Dowling to a two year deal.

Cuylle had just completed his Entry Level Contract, and was perhaps at risk of an offer sheet if a deal hadn’t been worked out. With Matthew Knies getting a 7 year deal worth $7.75M annually up in Toronto, there was some thought that Cuylle’s number might also get a lesser, though still substantial offer.

Breakout Season Earns Big Raise

Scoring 20 goals in his third season, Cuylle ended the year as one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing year for the Rangers. He had cemented his spot on the third line, and even saw shifts in the top six as the year progressed.

He also set a team record in hits, providing a dimension to the team that has been difficulty to remedy despite a procession of forwards through the organization over past few years.

The uniqueness of his game, combined with a rapidly expanding salary cap, means that his raise is significantly higher that what we saw for Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere in their first bridge deals.