Expectations
The 2024-25 campaign was one that saw more in-season roster movement for the New York Rangers than any season in recent memory.
Seven players that were on the opening night roster were dealt away by the time the trade deadline came and went. Those seven players were replaced through a mix of recalls from AHL Hartford, players acquired in the aforementioned trades, and one waiver claim as the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025.
That waiver claim came on Jan. 6Â when Arthur Kaliyev arrived from the Los Angeles Kings. After fracturing his clavicle on the second day of training camp with Los Angeles, Kaliyev missed the early portion of the season and did not draw into the Kings’ lineup once before returning from a conditional loan to AHL Ontario and being placed on waivers.
Kaliyev has had fans among the residents of Rangerstown dating back to his time as a prospect in the 2019 Entry Draft. Upon being placed on waivers, Chris Feldman made the case for what Kaliyev had to offer prospective teams in need of forward depth and why New York should have put in a waiver claim. Chris Drury did indeed claim Kaliyev on waivers, and the player who spent his formative years in Staten Island made his Broadway debut on Jan. 9th.
Performance
Boxcar Stats:Â 14 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 21 SOG, 11:13 TOI/GP, 2 PIM, -1 Penalty Differential, +2 Even Strength Goal Differential
5-on-5 Analytical Metrics:Â 1.57 Points/60, -1.36 Relative CF%, -2.24 Relative SF%, 17.03 Relative GF%, -2.65 Relative Expected GF%, -4.96 Relative SCF%, 103.6 On-Ice PDO, 2.0 Goals Above Replacement
Kaliyev’s debut was in the Blueshirts’ 40th game of the season, but he would only skate in 14 of the team’s remaining 43 games after his arrival. Kaliyev drew into the lineup for his first 10 games on the roster, notching two goals and an assist in that time frame. Kaliyev then had a four-game stint in the press box before re-entering the lineup for the Blueshirts’ final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off, as well as the first two games following the break.
Kaliyev was used sparingly during his time in the lineup, skating more than 13 minutes only once before his season came to an end on March 11. Following the Feb. 23 victory in Pittsburgh, arguably New York’s ugliest victory of the season, Kaliyev sat as a healthy scratch for the Rangers’ next seven games. Upon re-entering the lineup in favor of Brett Berard, Kaliyev suffered an upper-body injury in a 2-1 loss against the Winnipeg Jets that knocked him out for the remainder of the season.
Arty’s first as a New York Ranger. pic.twitter.com/UNJ4o99nWp
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 17, 2025
There wasn’t a lot of Kaliyev be seen in New York in the grand scheme of things. He arrived after New York busted out of the 4-15 funk that derailed its season from an on-ice perspective, skated limited minutes as Peter Laviolette looked for the right combination in what was a revolving door of bottom six forwards, and didn’t move the needle much in either direction from a performance perspective.
Kaliyev’s shot and scoring chance metrics were unspectacular, with the limited individual production he did contribute showing a nose for the net if nothing else. As we saw with players like Berard, Brennan Othmann, and even Matt Rempe, Laviolette opted to deploy his bottom six as more of an energy group of forwards rather than a secondary scoring unit that third lines are traditionally seen as around the league.
Will Cuylle worked his way up from being one of those bottom six, energy-type players into a more prominent role as a scorer this season, but Kaliyev didn’t show much of anything in his limited time to leave Rangers fans clamoring for more. The sub-par skating concerns that date back to his time as a draft prospect still ring true today, and the NHL has progressed as a league to the point of being a plus skater being a near-necessity in order to succeed for players lacking any other standout skills.
There wasn’t any harm in claiming Kaliyev off waivers, but for every Gustav Forsling that slips through the cracks while possessing star potential under the right circumstances, there are 100 more players that are just borderline NHLers at best. Nothing about Kaliyev’s game, whether that be interpreted through a statistical lens or from watching him in his limited time on the ice, points towards Kaliyev breaking the mold and emerging as a high-end player at this point.
Grades
Author Grade:Â C-
Banter Consensus:Â Incomplete
Final Evaluation
One might’ve likened Kaliyev to a found dollar scratcher upon his arrival in New York, but for what we knew of him at the time of his placement on waivers one could have also seen that description as an insult to dollar scratchers. There comes a time where a once-highly touted draft prospect loses his luster as a pro player, and five years post-draft, now six upon the conclusion of 2024-25, is as fair a time as any for the last bits of luster to have worn off.
Kaliyev will be a restricted free agent whose rights can be retained if New York opts to extending a qualifying offer, which would be in the neighborhood of $900K, to Kaliyev this summer. Gabe Perreault’s late-season NHL arrival as well as continued growth from Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann would likely push Kaliyev out of the lineup if he were to return for the 2025-26 campaign.
Kaliyev’s qualifying offer amount would allow his cap hit to be entirely buried if the Rangers opt to bring him back and send him to Hartford should he not make the team out of training camp. If Chris Drury decides to let Kaliyev enter unrestricted free agency, the loss of a player who more or less did cardio for 14 games wouldn’t impact the Blueshirts much at all moving forward.
