The Rangers announced that forward Matt Rempe is out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury (via Larry Brooks of the New York Post). A corresponding recall is unlikely because Sam Carrick has rejoined the team after a brief personal leave, Brooks adds, giving the Blueshirts 13 healthy forwards. With less than a month to go in the season, the injury could end his campaign if New York doesn’t make the playoffs.
Rempe, 22, now carries an injury designation for the first time in his brief NHL career. Most of his unavailability over the past two years has been due to suspensions – first, a four-gamer for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler last year, then an eight-game ban earlier this season for boarding Stars defender Miro Heiskanen.
While the depth enforcer was ferried between New York and AHL Hartford many times in the early going of the season, he’s remained on the NHL roster since being activated from his suspension. He’s made 36 appearances in 2024-25, more than doubling his 2023-24 total, posting 2-3–5 with a plus-four rating and 63 PIMs. He’s averaging just under eight minutes of ice time per game and ranks sixth on the team with 103 hits.
The 6’9″, 255-lb forward entered the season with one goal – stay on the ice. Penalties and suspensions have overshadowed any upside he has as an effective bottom-six checking presence since he entered the league last season. He’s made some progress in that regard, averaging 1.75 PIMs per game compared to a ridiculous 4.18 last year.
Rempe put up 3-2–5 in 18 games with the Wolf Pack earlier this year. A pending restricted free agent, he should be in line for a sub-$1MM AAV on an extension as the Blueshirts navigate a cap crunch this summer.
Rookie Brett Berard will re-enter the lineup tomorrow against the Ducks in Rempe’s absence. He’d sat as a healthy scratch for the past two games. He’s been a more effective depth scorer than the latter in limited minutes, notching 4-4–8 in 28 games. New York selected Berard, 22, in the fifth round in 2020.
Good. If anybody deserves it, it’s this goon. The NHL is safer as long as he’s out. Only bad thing is it’s not career-ending, because he’s an absolute disgrace to the NHL.
Ur a disgrace to this comment section…
Go back and play with ur dolls and put in ur school dress u Mary…
Beat It!!!
He’s a danger to the whole league. He’s a risk to every player to cause a career-ending injury with his unrestrained goonery. I’d rather the criminal lose his career than one of his potential victims.
36 games played. 12 games suspended. Kick him out!!
You’re too simple-minded to get it.
He’s going to ruin somebody’s career the way he plays. That’s why I hope he gets lost, one way or another.
Overcompensating for a lack of something, are we?
You want to see a good fight, YouTube’s filled with great UFC/boxing clips.
Me, I want to see hockey. Rempgoon isn’t a hockey player.
Good steady diet of punching people should cure what ails him.
He reminds of a bigger version of Nick Fotiu who played for the Rangers back in the seventies. Has just enough hockey skill to score a few points. He has a place on this team now because Drury traded away too many skilled players in his rebuild. Once Drury changes his roster to the way he wants it Rempe will disappear back to Hartford for an occasional call up or he’ll be released and become non existent. But to Ranger fans he’ll be a cult hero just like Nick is.