Breaking our own rules since Tye Kartye only played 24 games with the Rangers this season, but we felt he deserved his own report card since he had a significant impact on the Rangers when claimed off waivers. Immediately thrust into a third line role, Kartye found chemistry with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary. When Laba went down with an injury, he had that same chemistry with JT Miller. Funny enough, it didn’t matter who the center was, it was the Kartye-Sheary combo that drove the Rangers third line down the stretch.
In Tye Kartye’s 245 minutes with Sheary, the duo put up a very solid 50.45% shot share (CF%), a whopping 56$ goal share (GF%), a solid 50.28 expected-goals share (xGF%), and a very solid 51.25 high danger chance share (HDCF%). Given how bad the Rangers looked across the board on these metrics, this is very good and hopefully promising for the future, at least with Kartye.
Aside: Since Tye Kartye only played 24 games with the Rangers, his Evolving-Hockey Player Card doesn’t hold much actual value, so there’s no point in including it. Most of his time was with Seattle, so
Beyond the numbers, Tye Kartye brought in a tenacious forecheck and speed that the Rangers simply didn’t have until after the trade deadline. Kartye, alongside recalls Adam Sykora and Jaro Chmelar, changed the vibes with the Rangers. There’s a strong argument that Kartye was the catalyst to this turnaround and the hope, as the Rangers third line became a strength and not just a mess of throwing things and seeing what sticks.
A solid third line is something the Rangers may not actually need to build this offseason, one of the few areas on the team that looks like a strength. It’s worth noting Sheary was a significant part of that line, and we will get to that with his report card later, but Kartye and Laba are two-thirds of that line that will definitely be returning. A wild card is Adam Sykora, who looks like he can be another pest on that line. Kartye is looking like a gem on the waiver wire, a stroke of fortune that has eluded the Rangers for some time.
It’s unlikely Kartye keeps his scoring pace from last season, where he put up 5 goals and 9 assists in 24 games. He shot 18.3% in that span, well above his career 11% average. That’s fine, since Tye Kartye brought a lot more to the ice than his improved scoring line. He brought a youthful energy and tenacity that Mike Sullivan needs in his bottom six. With another year remaining at $1.25 million, Kartye has a chance to land a nice extension with the Blueshirts if his play style continues.