New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe burst onto the scene last year.
He started his NHL career by fighting in his team’s wild Stadium Series game against Matt Martin of the New York Islanders at MetLife Stadium. Not only did Rempe, 22, get in his first fight, but it happened on his first shift in the league.
On April 3, Rempe was part of a line brawl in a game against the New Jersey Devils. This was yet another memorable moment from Rempe on a game that was nationally televised on TNT.
A few weeks after fighting off the Devils, Rempe would score his team’s first goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 1 against the Washington Capitals. There is no way that anyone in hockey had that on their bingo card that game.
The rest of the playoffs were a dud for Rempe. He did not contribute much offensively, did not play a lot of minutes, was scratched a few times, and generally did not fit into what Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was looking for the team to accomplish.
That brings us to this season. As of this writing (Tuesday night, October 29), which does not include Tuesday night’s game against the Capitals, Rempe has played in just two of his team’s eight games.
In those two games, Rempe has done the following:
- No points
- No penalty minutes
- Averaged just 5:39 minutes of ice time per game
While it is hard to make something happen by averaging close to six minutes of ice time per game, one has to wonder what should be done with Rempe when it comes to the Rangers. The question that Laviolette and the team’s management need to answer is whether Rempe is better off playing with the big club or if he should be playing down in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
There are a few reasons why he should stay with the Blueshirts. For starters, he provides a lot of energy.
Rempe throws big hits, protects his teammates, gets the Madison Square Garden crowd into the game, and creates a lot of distractions for the opponent. When Rempe is in the lineup or on the ice, the other team knows that they cannot go around bullying the Rangers because they will have to answer to Rempe.
Secondly, the only way that Rempe is going to get better playing in the NHL is if Laviolette gives him more ice time. Rempe cannot do much if he is on the bench for most of the game, and while he can learn a lot by watching, he can learn even more about the NHL game by playing.
Lastly, Rempe worked hard this summer to get himself in NHL shape. Not only did he work on his fighting skills with former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque, but he also trained with teammate Chris Kreider working on his skating and other necessary skills in hopes of earning a bigger role with the Rangers.
Through the team’s first eight games, it is safe to say that Rempe has not earned a bigger role with the big club. As such, there are a few reasons why the team should send him down to Hartford.
For starters, Rempe will get a lot of playing time with the Wolf Pack. This was exactly the case when he was sent down during the week of October 21.
During that week, Rempe played in two games, got lots of ice time, played in different situations, and was useful. In speaking with Rangers writer Remy Mastey of The Hockey News after being recalled by the Rangers, Rempe mentioned how being sent down to the AHL was a positive experience for him.
“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations,” Rempe said about his time in Hartford. “It was good for me… Hadn’t played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side, and play in a top-six role.”
Secondly, and as mentioned in this article already, Rempe was not being used a lot by Laviolette. A player can only learn so much from the bench and eventually needs to be put out on the ice to show what he can do and what he has learned.
Rempe will be able to accomplish that and more in Hartford. He can play in all situations, and be relied on by Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny to be a responsible player and be a leader not only on the ice, but in the locker room.
Lastly, there might not be room for Rempe on this roster when all is said and done. Laviolette seems to like what Jonny Brodzinski brings to the table and when Jimmy Vesey returns from his injury, Rempe might be the odd man out.
Laviolette likes playing Brodzinski because he is someone who plays fast, can create a bit of offense, and has more NHL experience. For right now, Rempe is not someone who can necessarily do that.
It is a tough situation for Laviolette and the team’s management. As you can tell from everything above, there are good reasons to keep him with the big boys, and there are also legitimate reasons to send him down to Hartford.
If you are a Rangers fan who is reading this article, what would you do with Rempe?
