As announced by the New York Rangers PR Department, enforcer and forward Matt Rempe has been sent back down to the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.
The move comes on Monday, Jan. 6 and ahead of Rempe serving the last of his eight-game suspension. The ruling came from the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding, elbowing due to misconduct for play against Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen en route to New York's 3-1 win in Texas. Should he have remained in the NHL, the suspension was a mere three days away from being lifted, as the 22-year-old would have been eligible for play against the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
UPDATE: Matt Rempe has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) January 6, 2025
This latest development comes just after Rempe was seen in the Rangers' locker room towards the end of the broadcast from Sunday's win over Chicago.
However, this assignment is most likely due to capacity restraints. An NHL team roster can have a maximum of 23 players. And with the Rangers claiming Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings on Monday afternoon, keeping Rempe up there while serving his suspension would have put the Blueshirts at 24.
In 188 games played in the league, Kaliyev has recorded 35 goals and 36 assists for a total of 71 points for the forward. In comparison, Rempe has 22 games played with a recorded two points out of two years in the league.
It is worth noting that according to the Athletic's Peter Baugh, Rempe will be eligible to play immediately for Hartford, but he will have to serve the final game of his NHL suspension when he is eventually recalled. Hockey fans should not underestimate the intentional use of the word "when," with ESPN ice-level reporter Emily Kaplan having said on Jan. 5th that it is expected for Rempe to have another opportunity with the Rangers come the spring due to his development and work ethic.
While in Hartford, the 6'9", 255 pound player will see more ice time. This year with the AHL, he has tallied three goals and two assists across 18 games played so far. As for his overall AHL career so far, he has 27 points off of 17 goals and 10 assists across 114 games.