Matt Rempe’s new contract extension proves that the New York Rangers have trust in the young forward.
Rempe and the Rangers agreed on a two-year contract extension worth $1.95 million.
It’s been a year and a half for Rempe filled with ups and downs. He came in hot in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign as his physical brand of hockey and no-fear mentality to fight the top enforcers in the NHL helped him standout.
However, Rempe wasn’tgetting much playing time and was often scratched out of the lineup due to his struggles both offensively and defensively.
To start the 2024-25 campaign, Rempe struggled to find his footing with the team and was quickly sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
After being sent up and down from the AHL a couple of times Rempe seemed to have developed his game further and his time spent with the Wolf Pack was truly a blessing in disguise.
“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations,” Rempe said about his time in Hartford. “It was good for me... Hadn't played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side and play in a top-six role.”
Through the second half of the season, Rempe was almost unrecognizable in a positive way.
He seemed to be more confident offensively while being a reliable presence on the defensive end.
The 22-year-old carved himself out a consistent role on the team’s fourth line while seeing an increase in his minutes as well.
Rempe was more cautious when it came to his hits, but that didn’t change his physical mindset whatsoever.
Between the physical energy that he brought and his newly established game, Rempe transformed into more than just an enforcer, which was his goal all along.
While acknowledging the strides that he made, Rempe is still aware that there’s more work to be done before he blossoms into the player that he knows he could be.
“I think I improved a lot, especially from last year,” Rempe said. “From the beginning of the season to the end, I think a lot of development happened. My game got a lot better. I’ve still got a lot of work to do. I want to continue to work on all parts of my game.”
With this new contract extension, the Rangers are showing faith in Rempe and he should continue to serve a fourth-line role in New York.
Now, Rempe has two seasons to prove that he can be a staple in the Rangers’ lineup for years to come.
