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Matt Rempe

Rangers Recall Matt Rempe, Assign Victor Mancini To AHL

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The Kaapo Kakko swap wasn’t the only transaction the Rangers made today.  Not long after the trade was made official, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford while re-assigning defenseman Victor Mancini to the Wolf Pack.

Rempe made his presence felt down the stretch last season and earned a spot with New York in training camp.  However, the 22-year-old didn’t play much early on and since he’s still waiver-exempt, the team has elected to largely keep him in the minors this season, allowing him to get more playing time while playing a bigger role than he has typically had with the big club.

With the Rangers, Rempe has been limited to just four games this season where he has been held off the scoresheet although he has seven hits and seven penalty minutes in just 6:26 of playing time per night, an uptick from the 5:38 he played last night.  In Hartford, he has suited up 18 times, picking up three goals and two assists along with 22 penalty minutes.

As for Mancini, the 22-year-old is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha last year.  Ideally, New York’s preference would have been for him to play big minutes in the minors but a strong early showing down there plus a need to help their back end has resulted in him primarily playing for the Rangers.  With the addition of William Borgen, they can now allow Mancini to get that bigger playing time in Hartford.

Mancini has played in 15 games with New York so far this season, picking up a goal and four assists while logging 15:05 per night of playing time.  He has also played in six games with the Wolf Pack, recording five points.  His cap hit is $50K higher than Rempe’s, allowing them to offset a small portion of the extra $300K pro-rated that they took on in the Kakko-Borgen swap.

Rangers Recall Chad Ruhwedel, Reassign Matt Rempe

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It’ll be another short stay in the NHL for New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe. The organization announced they’ve reassigned Rempe to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and recalled defenseman Chad Ruhwedel in a corresponding roster move.

The Rangers recalled Rempe only yesterday with veteran forward Chris Kreider out with a minor injury. He skated in 9:26 of New York’s loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues last night and also narrowly avoided supplemental discipline. Four minutes into the third period, Rempe hit St. Louis forward Jake Neighbours with a late hit and was called for roughing on the play. The NHL Department of Player Safety gave the penalty a closer look due to the lateness but did not think it was forceful enough to warrant a suspension or fine.

He’ll now return to a Wolf Pack team where he’s spent much of the season. Rempe has scored two goals and three points in 10 games for AHL Hartford this season while posting a -7 rating.

Ruhwedel will return to the NHL after a seven-game stint with the Wolf Pack to reclaim his role as the Rangers’ seventh defenseman. After acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, the organization re-signed Ruhwedel to a one-year, $775K contract this past summer.

He recently tallied two assists in Hartford for his first AHL points since the 2018-19 season. He barely edged out his total number of games played with New York where he’s collected no points in six contests since joining the team on March 8th, 2024.

Rangers Recall Matt Rempe, Chris Kreider Out Day-To-Day

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The Rangers announced they’ve recalled forward Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford. He comes up with Chris Kreider set to miss tonight’s game against the Blues with an upper-body injury, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports reports. They opened a roster spot with a series of transactions yesterday, so no IR placement or corresponding move is required.

It’s Rempe’s second recall of the season after making the opening night roster but only sticking around for a few weeks, earning a demotion to Hartford in late October. The 2020 sixth-round pick has been in the minors for nearly all of November, last being rostered for an NHL contest against the Senators on Nov. 1, a game for which he served as a healthy scratch.

Even with Kreider out and Filip Chytil not taking line rushes at today’s practice, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post, it’s entirely possible Rempe is only up to serve as additional injury insurance and may sit in the press box for a seventh time this season tonight versus St. Louis. The Rangers gave themselves another forward option last night by recalling Brett Berard, who Brooks says practiced with the second power-play unit today, strongly indicating he’ll make his NHL debut. If Rempe does draw in, that would indicate a healthy scratch for a depth piece like Adam Edstrom.

This month’s lengthy demotion means Rempe has seen 10 games of AHL action this season compared to three NHL contests. The towering 6’8″ enforcer has scored twice and added an assist in those minor-league games, but his -7 rating is second-worst on Hartford. He averaged just 5:26 per game in his trio of NHL appearances last month, down from his already measly 5:38 mark last year, and posted no points with six hits and a fight.

Rempe appeared in 17 NHL contests at the tail end of last season as the Rangers looked to add a physical spark to their fourth line. In his short stay in the lineup, he racked up 71 PIMs and recorded his first two NHL points, a goal and an assist.

Rempe doesn’t yet require waivers to return to Hartford, but the pending restricted free agent will need them starting with the 2025-26 campaign.

Meanwhile, Kreider is on an ice-cold streak, recording just one point in his last six games. It’s not clear if he sustained the upper-body issue in the Rangers’ 6-2 loss to the Oilers on Saturday or if he’s been playing through it. The 33-year-old is second on the team with nine goals in 19 games but has miraculously yet to record an assist.

Rangers Activate Jimmy Vesey Off LTIR, Assign Matt Rempe To AHL

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The Rangers will welcome back Jimmy Vesey to their lineup tomorrow against the Islanders after he spent the first few weeks of the season on LTIR.  In a corresponding move, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Matt Rempe has been re-assigned to AHL Hartford.

Vesey was injured partway through training camp, sustaining a lower-body injury that has kept him out of all ten games the Rangers have played so far.  With the 31-year-old basically being a full participant in practice for the past week, it comes as no surprise that he was activated as soon as he was eligible.

Vesey was a solid depth scorer for New York last season, notching 13 goals and 13 assists in 80 games despite averaging just 12:23 per game, a career low.  He’s playing in the second and final season of a two-year, $1.6MM contract, a deal that has proven to be a team-friendly one thus far.

His return means that Rempe’s second stint with the Rangers this season was rather short-lived.  New York sent him to Hartford last week, recalling him just four days later after a pair of outings with the Wolf Pack.  The 22-year-old has played in just three games this season with New York and has been held off the scoresheet while averaging just 5:26 per game.  Given that he’s waiver-exempt, it makes sense for him to go to Hartford and play more of a regular role with them for the time being.

Rangers Recall Matt Rempe

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Oct. 28: Rempe is back with the Rangers today, per the NHL’s media site. The move was first reported last night.

Oct. 25: The Rangers have assigned right-winger Matt Rempe to AHL Hartford, the team announced after last night’s 3-1 loss to the Panthers. No corresponding move was announced, giving them an open roster spot to activate Jimmy Vesey from long-term injured reserve when he’s eligible to be taken off next week.

Given how sparsely Rempe has played to start the season, the move shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. But after appearing in 17 games for the Blueshirts last season after a February call-up and playing in 11 of their 16 playoff contests, five healthy scratches through their first seven games of 2024-25 was a bit eye-raising.

Rempe was technically left off the opening night roster for salary cap purposes, allowing the Rangers to maximize Vesey’s LTIR capture. He was recalled as soon as possible and was rostered for their season opener against the Penguins, although he watched it from the press box. In his two appearances – Oct. 12 against Utah and Oct. 19 against the Maple Leafs – he averaged just 5:39 per game, including a paltry 3:40 against the newcomers from Salt Lake.

Unlike last season, head coach Peter Laviolette decided that low ice time, not by Rempe spending nearly as much time in the penalty box as he did on the ice. Rempe has a spotless sheet to start this season after racking up 71 PIMs in his 17 regular-season showings last year. He’s also got no points, no shots (just one attempt), and five hits. The Rangers were also out-attempted 14-4 with Rempe on the ice at even strength in his tiny sample size.

A sixth-round pick of the Rangers in 2020, few expected Rempe to make much of an NHL impact, especially before his 23rd birthday. While it’s valid that one goal and one assist in 19 career games may not be considered impactful, he’s grabbed the spotlight with his throwback playstyle and willingness to drop the gloves. At times, that penchant for physicality has made him a legitimately valuable piece as a net-front option in the offensive zone, something that he’ll need to focus more on in the minors if he wants to prove he can be an influential player in an NHL that continues to see a drop in the frequency of fights.

The 6’8″, 240-lb winger has made 96 appearances in Hartford since turning pro for the 2022-23 campaign. He’s had 14 goals and eight assists with 183 PIMs and a -9 rating.

Snapshots: Drouin, Rempe, Lazar

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Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette is reporting that injured Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin is being upgraded to day-to-day, an indication that he could return to action soon. Drouin hasn’t dressed for a game since he suffered a lower-body injury in the first game of the season back on October 8th. The 29-year-old is reportedly still dealing with some pain but should be able to return when he is cleared to do so.

Colorado has not had issues putting the puck in the net this season. However, they are still without the services of several forwards and will be happy to have Drouin’s services when he gets back into the lineup.

In other notes from around the league:

  • The New York Rangers have reportedly recalled forward Matt Rempe from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL (as per AHL Transactions). The 22-year-old was assigned to the AHL on Friday and dressed in two games with Hartford, where he was held without a point and went -3. New York had lent Rempe to Hartford to try and get him more playing time, but with a matchup this week against the Washington Capitals, and more specifically, Tom Wilson, the Rangers opted to bring the big man back to the NHL.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar left tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks and did not return (as per Mike Morreale of NHL.com). The 29-year-old collided with Ducks captain Radko Gudas when Gudas tried to execute an ill-timed hip check on Lazar, which resulted in an awkward-looking collision. Lazar appeared unable to put any weight on his left leg as he exited the game and did not return for the third period. He played just 4:40. In a post-game interview, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporter Gabriel Trevino that Lazar will miss some time.

Rangers Make Nine Roster Moves

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After submitting a cap-compliant roster for Monday’s opening-night deadline, the Rangers have shuffled their group to get to their actual game roster for tonight’s season opener against the Penguins. As expected, William Cuylle, Adam Edstrom, Victor Mancini, and Matt Rempe were recalled from AHL Hartford yesterday, making the team in effect, reports Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. Five players – forwards Anton Blidh, Jake Leschyshyn, and Adam Sýkora, as well as defensemen Ben Harpur and Matthew Robertson, were sent down to create roster and cap space.

The Rangers opened up a roster spot with the moves, but that’s not why they made them. Having the extra salary on the technical opening night roster allowed them to maximize their capture when placing winger Jimmy Vesey and his $800K cap hit on long-term injured reserve. They now have $792K in their season-opening LTIR pool, per PuckPedia. After yesterday’s moves, they’re sitting with north of $600K in cap space.

All four of yesterday’s recalls are expected to slide into the lineup against Pittsburgh tonight. Veteran Jonny Brodzinski appears to be on the outside looking in as the 13th forward to start the year, while Mancini will slide in for Ryan Lindgren, who’s on IR with an upper-body injury. It’ll be his NHL debut.

It’s an impressive feat for Mancini, who appears to have usurped veteran No. 7 option Chad Ruhwedel in the pecking order, at least for now. He’s also pushed himself up on the Blueshirts’ depth chart past other veteran defensive depth options with NHL experience like the aforementioned Harpur. The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick just two years ago out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where the 6’4″, 220-lb stay-at-home defender had four goals and 23 points in 110 games with a +4 rating. He’s entering his first full season of pro hockey but did close out last year with six assists in 17 combined regular-season and playoff games for Hartford.

Edstrom, listed at 6’6″, and Rempe, listed at 6’9″, are back to reprise their roles on one of the tallest combined forward lines in league history. They got spot duty together last season when they were both on the roster, getting seven games of action flanking Barclay Goodrow. The line has lost a couple of inches with the 6’2″ Goodrow now replaced by a 6’0″ Sam Carrick, but an opening night look is still promising for the younger duo of Edstrom and Rempe.

Edstrom, 24 on Saturday, had two goals in his first 11 NHL appearances last year. Rempe, meanwhile, scored a goal and an assist in 17 games. Only the 22-year-old Rempe saw playoff action, though, drawing into 11 of New York’s 16 postseason games en route to the Eastern Conference Final.

Cuylle was always a near-lock to make the team, only being sent down briefly for cap purposes, as mentioned earlier. The 22-year-old left winger had a promising rookie season in 2023-24, scoring 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points in 81 games while averaging 11:08 per game. He played a frequent third-line role at even strength but received little to no special teams usage. The 6’3″, 212-lb former second-rounder also finished fourth on the team in PIMs (56), tied for sixth in even-strength goals (12), and led them in hits (249).

Metropolitan Notes: Konecny Contract Details, Daws, Rempe

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Earlier this week, one of the more prominent potential 2025 unrestricted free agents came off the market when the Flyers inked winger Travis Konecny to an eight-year, $70MM contract extension.  The breakdown of the deal wasn’t announced at the time of the signing but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that it’s as follows:

2025-26: $2MM base salary, $9MM signing bonus
2026-27: $5.25MM salary, $3MM bonus
2027-28: $3.5MM salary, $7.5MM bonus
2028-29: $4.6MM salary, $6MM bonus
2029-30: $4.35MM salary, $5MM bonus
2030-31: $2.1MM salary, $4.5MM bonus
2031-32: $6.6M salary
2032-33: $6.6M salary

The deal also contains a full no-move clause for all eight seasons along with a 14-team no-trade clause in each season.  In this instance, the NMC is protecting against a waiver placement.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Devils have three restricted free agents still to sign, one of which is goaltender Nico Daws. His agent, Quartexx’s Paul Capizzano, told Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that the two sides are getting closer to a resolution on a new deal.  The 23-year-old posted a 3.15 GAA with a .894 SV% in 21 starts with New Jersey last season, numbers were nearly identical to his 25 appearances the year before.  Daws also put up a 2.89 GAA with a .890 SV% in 10 games with AHL Utica.  With Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in place, Daws will head into next season in a third-string role after Akira Schmid was moved to Vegas at the draft.
  • After having a very limited role when he was in the lineup down the stretch last season, Rangers winger Matt Rempe told reporters including Larry Brooks of the New York Post that he’s hoping to secure a more prominent role for next season, singling out the penalty kill as an area he wants to work on. The 22-year-old averaged just 5:38 in 17 games during the regular season so even becoming a passable option shorthanded could allow him to play more of a regular role as he looks to lock down a full-time roster spot.

Morning Notes: Rempe, Capitals, Ducks

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Rangers forward Matt Rempe has served his four-game suspension and is eligible to return Tuesday against the Jets. Last week, the NHL Department of Player Safety handed down the first supplemental discipline of Rempe’s brief career after he illegally elbowed Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head in the second period of last Monday’s game. Devils interim head coach Travis Green said Siegenthaler sustained a concussion on the play and is out indefinitely.

Rempe, 21, has played 10 games for the Rangers since they recalled him in mid-February. The 2020 sixth-round pick stuck in the lineup after fighting Islanders heavyweight Matt Martin less than two minutes into his first NHL game, last month’s Stadium Series event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. While a decent bottom-six checking forward at the minor-league level, Rempe has dialed it up to full-on enforcer status in the majors, posting nearly as many PIMs (54) as he has total time on ice (56). Despite logging double-digit ice time in a game just once thus far, the Calgary native has logged a goal, an assist, and eight shots. If he draws back into the lineup against Winnipeg, Jonny Brodzinski, who was a healthy scratch in two straight before Rempe’s suspension, would likely come out.

Other updates to kick off the week:

  • The Eastern Conference wild-card race is heating up like a game of hot potato. The two leading contenders for the final playoff spot, the Islanders and Red Wings, are both on significant skids. The Isles have lost four straight, and the Red Wings have only won two out of their last 10. That’s paved the way for the Capitals to take advantage despite their remarkable -30 goal differential. With a point against the Flames on Monday on a two-game slate, they can move into the second wild-card spot in earnest, surpassing the Red Wings. They’ve already moved into the spot based on points percentage, as they trail Detroit by one point with two games in hand entering Monday night’s action.
  • On the other side of the coin, the Ducks became the third team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after losing 4-2 to the Blues on Sunday night. Sitting with a 23-42-3 record (49 points) through 68 games, they trail the current second wild card, the Golden Knights, by 30 points but can only earn 28 if they win out. This marks the sixth straight season without playoff hockey in Anaheim, last cracking the field in 2018, when the Sharks swept them in the first round. Only four players who suited up in regular-season games for the team that season remain in SoCal – forwards Jakob Silfverberg and Troy Terry, defenseman Cam Fowler, and goaltender John Gibson.

Snapshots: Rempe, Canucks, Rodrigues

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Bruising forward for the New York Rangers, Matt Rempe has been suspended four games for elbowing by the Department of Player Safety, according to an announcement. It will mark the first time that Rempe has been suspended in the NHL throughout his career, as he has only played in a total of 10 games for the Rangers up to this point.

During the play in question, towards the end of the second period in New York’s Monday night game against the New Jersey Devils, Rempe attempted to drive Devils’ defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler into the boards near the penalty box, and his elbow came into contact with Siegenthaler’s head. Rempe was assessed an elbowing and game misconduct on the play by the game’s on-ice officials.

This morning, Rempe did partake in a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety, which would have ultimately ended up in a maximum of a five-game suspension. With this suspension, Rempe will continue to add to his reputation as a modern-day enforcer, as he has also racked up a total of 54 penalty minutes in his young career.

Other snapshots:

  • Getting down to business in the front office, the Vancouver Canucks announce they have extended and promoted Ryan Johnson to Assistant General Manager. Johnson will retain his role as General Manager of the Abbotsford Canucks, but he was previously serving as Special Assistant to the General Manager at the NHL level. In the same announcement, the team has also extended Cammi Granato and Émilie Castonguay in their current roles as Assistant General Managers.
  • Senior Digital Content Manager for the Florida Panthers, Jameson Olive, reports that forward Evan Rodrigues will miss tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury. It will be Rodrigues’ first missed game of the 2023-24 NHL season as he has found new life in his current role with the Panthers. Signing with the organization as an unrestricted free agent last offseason, Rodrigues has scored 10 goals and 36 points in 65 games for Florida this year.

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