Near the end of February, the New York Rangers took a shot on Tye Kartye, claiming him off waivers from the Seattle Kraken.

After playing in 180 games with the franchise, the Kraken decided to move on from Kartye. It is a decision they would soon come to regret given the development that he has undergone with the Rangers.

During the preseason, Kartye said he was more motivated to prove New York right by claiming him than Seattle wrong for waiving him. That mindset has certainly worked for him because the winger has performed so well that head coach Mike Sullivan moved him up from the fourth line to the second line.

It was a move many people questioned and felt had an expiration date. But Kartye continues to defy expectations, performing at an incredibly high level and proving to be the perfect fit in the system that Sullivan wants to use.

Tye Kartye remains productive for Rangers

“He's been a great fit for our group. I think you know he thrives in the game that we're trying to play,” Sullivan said to New York Rangers on SI following the team’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

That victory came courtesy of Kartye. In the third period, with the game tied 2-2, he gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead, burying the game-winning goal behind Joseph Wall to get New York its ninth victory of the campaign.

It is the second game-winning goal for him this season, which is tied for sixth most in the League, per NHL.com. He now has a point in back-to-back games and has been heating up recently, recording six points in his last seven contests with three goals and three assists.

On the season, he now has five goals and seven assists. His 12 points are the fifth most on the team, behind only Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, as Kartye is performing at a level no one predicted he would coming into the season.

He has earned the move to the second line, and Sullivan has liked what he has seen so much that Kartye is even getting power play opportunities now with the second unit. A reliable forechecker and penalty killer, he has become an integral part of the team’s overall success, playing a part in every facet of the game.

His style of play has fit perfectly alongside Miller, with that duo producing an impressive 57% xGF rate in 174:27 time on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick.

Kartye has earned all the extra opportunities he has been given and made the most of them. No one thought the Rangers were getting a top-six forward when they claimed him from the Kraken, but he is a tireless worker who is finding his spots on the ice and making the most of his chances.