Matt Rempe burst onto the scene in the most aggressive manner possible, a Stadium Series slugfest at MetLife Stadium that felt like the birth of a new Rangers folk hero. But in this city, enthusiasm can fade faster than a New York minute. While his name still sends Madison Square Garden into a ferocious frenzy, there is a mounting sense that Rempe’s moment in the sun is already setting. The front office has been blunt about their desire to overhaul the bottom six, and for a player whose gimmick has increasingly gone stale, that clarity spells trouble.
Expectations
The Rangers have had a lot of "big boys" suit up and take The Garden ice, and Rempe was the latest spectacle to generate headlines. An impressive specimen dubbed the "Rempire State Building" Rempe is a mountain of a man who strikes fear into opponents and at his peak caused turnover for players who thought they heard footsteps. That said, the expectation heading into the season is that he would evolve, grow, and be more of a hockey player, and less of an enforcer and staged fighter.
A lot was made about Rempe working hard during the 2024 offseason with former teammate Chris Kreider to refine his skating and become a dependable fourth liner and effective disruptor. For Rempe is was more about consistency and endurance for lasting an entire season as opposed to surviving day by day with limited ice time. That was the plan in theory, and unfortunately for the Rangers, Rempe's offseason renaissance for more theoretical than practical.
Performance
When you look at Rempe, his personality, his interactions with fans, and how he is off the ice, he comes across as a big sweetheart that exudes golden retriever energy. He's been blessed with physical tools that allow him to earn a living as an NHL fighter, but but there is a growing sense that this isn't who he was meant to be. Despite his reach and hulking frame, Rempe has shown that he is not a natural pugilist, and ironically, fighting is exactly what derailed his season. He was limited to 26 games this season after suffering a thumb injury after throwing down with former Rangers and renowned NHL heavyweight Ryan Reaves in October.
That injury required Rempe to undergo multiple surgeries, and it is something that is still plaguing him. When he was in the lineup, he was unable to fight, and that made him less of a deterrent. Rempe also had trouble gripping the stick, and that rendered him useless. In total, he had one goal on the season and 86 hits in his 26 games, and he averaged 8:36 per game. His underlying metrics were also a bit of a mixed bag, and included a 38.19 GF%, a 49.58 CF%, and a 51.41 xGF% in 214 minutes of 5v5 play courtesy of Evolving-Hockey.
Grade: F
Where do they go from here?
Mike Sullivan was vocal about improving the bottom six on breakup day, and Chris Drury co-signed his head coach's opinion when asked by the media. Sullivan's exact quote was, "I think there might be some opportunities to improve our bottom six at the forward position, where players might be able to play certain roles that could allow us to take some of our core players out of situations.”
This doesn't describe players like Rempe, and with Adam Sýkora, Jaroslav Chmelař just two examples of in-house options that thrived this season, it doesn't look good for Rempe if the Rangers do ultimately decide to bring in another option for consideration.
Rempe had opportunities to show what he was capable of, and it is unfortunate that he got injured when he did. There's always the chance the Rangers give him another shot in training camp, but when considering the work the organization has to do in building a team that is ready to compete for the playoffs, it is hard to see where Rempe would fit in.
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