Rangers need to lock in Tye Kartye long-term.

The New York Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye to a long-term deal.

Tye Kartye is on one of the best bargain contracts in the NHL right now, per PuckPedia.

His 4-7-11 in 16 games with the Rangers puts him at around $114,000 per point, third lowest in the entire NHL.

Naturally, as he continues to rack up points, that number will get lower and lower.

His $1.25 million contract while playing second line and PP2 minutes with J.T. Miller has benefited him.

At this point, it is pretty clear the New York Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye to a long-term deal.

At just 25 years old, Kartye will be an RFA eligible for arbitration.

That at least means he is at less risk of an offer sheet.

Kartye, picked up off waivers in February this year, has 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 40 games.

That is a 51-point pace over an 82-game season and a 52-point pace over the new 84-game season.

Though he does not come with the same draft pedigree as other 50-point scorers his age, he is right up there with Will Cuylle in points pace.

Kartye has been a diamond in the rough and perhaps the best waiver-wire pickup in recent memory, especially for those of us scarred by the days of top-line center Erik Christensen.

Kartye is not only putting up the numbers.

He is elevating captain J.T. Miller's game back to respectability after a disastrous first two-thirds of his 2025-2026 season.

Miller — with 12 points in 16 games — looks revitalized as the 2C and even looked like he willingly accepted shifting to PP2.

He has been vocal about keeping Kartye on his line as well.

That hopefully means he will accept perhaps shifting to 3C if and when the Rangers ever acquire a young center with offensive potential.

Cap hits aside for a moment, the Rangers go as Miller goes.

It may seem odd that the Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye long term because of his impact on Miller, but it does make some sense.

This is not the same as signing Barclay Goodrow to a six-year contract.

Kartye is showing he is proving people — including myself — wrong with how he is playing.

He has earned a new contract, and it is clear he fits with one of the Rangers' most important players, fits within the system, and, quite frankly, plays the game the right way.

The Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye long term — it is within a reasonable contract.

The way-too-early contract extension projections from Evolving-Hockey have the most likely contract for Kartye at 3 years and $2.4 million.

I think that is a bit light, given where Kartye plays, his point totals thus far, and a projected $113.5 million cap ceiling.

That is 2% of the cap ceiling, which is very low.

If Kartye continues to produce like this, that number will climb.

There should not be too much debate over whether the Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye long term.

The debate is where his cap hit should sit.

The Rangers have $79 million committed to next season with 4 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed.

That leaves $34 million to add 9 forwards, including Kartye and 4 other RFAs, and 2 defensemen, including RFAs Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson.

The biggest contracts will go to Will Cuylle and Gabe Perreault, though Noah Laba will command a decent raise.