Why Will Cuylle should land coveted Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award with Rangers this season
For the 37th time in New York Rangers history, the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award will be presented to the Blueshirts player who who “goes above and beyond the call of duty.” This year’s winner of the award will be announced prior to the Rangers game Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden.
Within the Rangers organization, this is just about the most prestigious honor imaginable, outside of winning the Stanley Cup. The extra effort award is named after late NYPD officer Steven McDonald, a lifelong Rangers fan who was shot and paralyzed in the line of duty on July 12, 1986. McDonald forgave his assailant and this award named in his honor was first presented to Jan Erixon in 1987-88.
McDonald died in 2017, but his family continues to present the award each season. Vincent Trocheck was voted by the fans as the winner last season.
But what about this season?
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Forever Blueshirts staff breaks down Rangers candidates for Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award
The Forever Blueshirts staff weighs in on who should win the coveted award for 2024-25.
Jim Cerny – Executive Editor
Even in a disappointing season, the Rangers have several worthy candidates for this coveted award. Igor Shesterkin deserves serious consideration here. Trocheck is in the conversation as a repeat winner. Will Borgen goes above and beyond. There are others. But for me, Will Cuylle is the clear choice. He represents the Rangers game-in and game-out with a ferocious passion, exemplified by his 278 hits, just shy of the franchise record and second in the NHL. Then there’s his commitment to hustling on every shift, willing to do what it takes to play a complete 200-foot game. He lives in the dirty areas, scoring 18 goals and nearly doubling his point total from his rookie campaign last season. What really stands out is that his effort didn’t flag when the Rangers were in their 4-15-0 swoon in November and December. His production wasn’t as good, but the effort was always there.
John Kreiser – Senior Writer
Cuylle, in his second full season with the Rangers, personifies what giving extra effort is all about. Despite being moved up and down the lineup, he’s nearly doubled his points total from last season and is two goals away from 20 despite not seeing much power-play time (an average of 47 seconds per game). But Cuylle also provides the kind of physical edge that NHL teams need. He’s second in the League with 278 hits, seven short of Ryan Callahan’s team record, with eight games remaining. The 23-year-old personifies the kind of effort that made the late Steven McDonald proud to be a Rangers fan.
Dane Walsh – Staff Writer
My pick for the Steven McDonald Extra Effort award is Artemi Panarin. Of course, he’s regressed from his career-high 120-point campaign last season, but that’s likely attributable to a team-wide regression rather than specifically an individual one. Panarin’s scored the second-most goals of his career this season (33), and has tried to will this team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with his incredible run in the month of March (20 points; 10 goals, 10 assists in 15 games). Whether the Rangers play well or not, Panarin continues to put up points at a clip that no one can compare to on this team. While points don’t always equate to effort, this season, no one’s more deserving of the honor than Panarin.
Tom Castro – Staff Writer
My choice for the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award is Will Cuylle. The Rangers’ second-year winger has made a leap in 2024-25 thanks to his hard-nosed, high-energy style. Cuylle’s old-school game has yielded career highs of 18 goals and 21 assists, just rewards for a player who relentlessly battles in the corners, goes to the net and doles out physical punishment, having recorded a team-high 278 hits on the season. The Toronto native’s straight-line and fearless approach represents the style and image that general manager Chris Drury is looking to reshape his team with. In a largely disappointing season for the Rangers, Cuylle’s extra effort on a nightly basis has stood out and represents hope for the future.
Eric Charles – Staff Writer
Will Cuylle impacts the game in every way. For such a young player, he plays with such an old-school tenacity, and is just two goals away from his first 20-goal season. His offensive game has limits, but that doesn’t stop him from putting his body on the line every night to get the most out of his team. Whether it’s being elevated in the lineup, getting more time on special teams, any opportunities thrown his way, he hasn’t taken it for granted. All while not changing his selfless style of play to try and bring some momentum in various ways every time he’s on the ice. Igor Shesterkin’s still MVP, Sam Rosen’s commitment to the franchise is even worthy of being the first non-player to receive the honor. But for the sake of the roots of the award, it’s Will Cuylle for me.
