Danny Wild-Imagn ImagesWhen the New York Rangers claimed Tye Kartye off waivers, the team likely couldn’t have expected the impact he’s provided since then.
On Feb. 27, the Rangers took a flyer on Kartye after he was waived from the Seattle Kraken just one day before.
For Kartye, who had spent the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Kraken upon signing there as an undrafted free agent, this was a sad moment, but he quickly shifted his focus and mindset.
“It's disappointing at the time,” Kartye said of being waived. “I think coming here is a fresh start, and I was excited to get with a new team and try and showcase my game and how I play. I'm really thankful that the Rangers took a chance on me, and I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity.”
Kartye has certainly made the most of the opportunity presented to him.
The 24-year-old forward seamlessly fit into the Rangers’ lineup, creating a formidable duo with Noah Laba to start, and recently thriving on a line alongside J.T. Miller and Conor Sheary.
In 40 games with the Kraken this season, Kartye recorded eight points, while he’s recorded 11 points in 20 games for the Rangers.
Despite Kartye’s increase in points playing for the Rangers, he feels his statistics are misleading and not representative of his level of play in Seattle.
“I felt like I was having a good season before I left Seattle honestly,” Kartye said. “Maybe not statistically, but how I was playing. I just tried to continue that play here. The puck has gone in the net a little more for me here.”
Kartye has provided the Rangers with a unique combination of speed and physical play that has translated at both ends of the ice.
It’s Kartye’s two-way game that continues to shine bright, as he’s been playing an important role on the penalty kill, while using his speed to generate offense.
Adding a swiss army knife like Kartye has balanced out the Rangers’ lineup and Sullivan is putting the versatile forward in positions where he can utilize his skills to the best of his ability.
“I’ve been given opportunities on the penalty kill and trying to do a good job at that,” Kartye said. “I think that can be a big part of my game.. Obviously playing with Miller and Sheary has been unreal and Laba too when we were playing. I feel like he's (Sullivan) been putting me in positions to be successful.”
Kartye is still under contract for another year past this season, and based on the way he’s playing, the Ontario native should have no problem carving out a role for the 2026-27 season on Broadway.
It’s been a hectic couple of months for Kartye, who’s had to move across the country and adapt to an entirely new team on the fly. Ultimately though, Kartye wouldn’t change any of it.
“Obviously, things are going really well for me here, so it's tough to go back and critique things, but I'm really happy how it turned out,” Kartye said. “I'm really happy to be here, and I'm really happy that I've been given some opportunity, and I'm glad that I've kind of taken advantage of it.”