Why the New York Rangers needed to extend Matt Rempe

It's official — the Rempire State Building is staying where he belongs.

On Wednesday morning the New York Rangers agreed to terms with budding young enforcer Matt Rempe for a two-year, $1,950,000 million contract, featuring an average annual value of $975,000. The deal comes before the 22-year-old could have been a restricted free agent come July 1st.

Here's why General Manager and President Chris Drury made the right call

The need for an enforcer

Rempe, also known as "Remps," led the Rangers in hits per 60 minutes (19.64) and his 19.64 hits per 60 were the sixth-most in the NHL among players who skated in at least 40 games. This year he also established new career-high across points with eight, goals with three and assists with five.

Standing at 6'9" and weighing 255 pounds, Rempe is also the biggest guy on the Blueshirt roster by far. The next biggest is friend and teammate Adam Edstrom — but Remps still has two inches and over 10 pounds on the guy.

Rempe was also the last man off the ice quite the number of times across practices and was there for practically every optional morning skate.

Before he was let go as a result of the Rangers infamously missed the postseason the very year after winning the Presidents' Trophy, former head coach Peter Laviolette said it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Rempe has worked hard on growing his game.

"Huge. Huge growth for Rempe. He's attacking the ice now with the puck. From our end, he's getting it with a little bit of speed underneath it before our blue line," Laviolette said. "He's attacking the neutral zone, he's going to the net, he's making plays, he's going through defenders. He played a heck of a game tonight ... The growth has been visible for everybody, not just me, but everybody sees it that watches him play,"

Why Rempe is the man for the job

The sport of hockey is in Rempe's DNA. He has two sisters, Alley and Steph, who are twins. They are both former members of Brown University's women's ice hockey team.

Rempe really electrified the fan base in the final two months of the 2023-24 season after debuting in the 2024 Stadium Series against the New York Islanders. And while he's brought life to the Rangers with big hits and viral fights, it's time for people to recognize his skill.

He also logged his first multi-point game (one goal, one assists) of his career during a 5-3 win in April over the Florida Panthers who just took home the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night.

Additionally, Rempe is a dangerous guy to have listed as a free agent in the sense that he'd likely get snatched up fairly quickly.

While enforcers are not as common a breed as they used to be, Rempe is one of the most well-known names across the league right now simply because of how much he lights up fanbases in both positive and negative ways.

In fact, I'd be curious to see the numbers his merchandise generates across the Rangers' fanbase and just how much many he brings in for the New York franchise. After all, "Rempe" chants ringing out throughout Madison Square Garden are not as rare as some might think.

Let's also not forget how important youth is to the NHL. At his previously mentioned age of 22, Rempe has a long career ahead of him and is part of the next generation of league stars.

Ideally, next year will see even more in-game growth for Rempe in addition to a well deserved average in the double digits per game.

"Excited for two more years!"

Matt Rempe, via his Instagram Story