GM Chris Drury has signed tough-guy Matt Rempe to a two-year contract with the New York Rangers. If this proves anything, it shows that his hard work has paid off, and the latter part of the season is an example of him being more than a one-dimensional goon.![Matt Rempe]()
The New York Rangers want a Matt Rempe problem. A good Matt Rempe problem is when he's on the ice, causing chaos and disrupting the opposing team's forwards.
When he and Adam Edstrom collaborate to use their size to create plays and score goals. Now, the once goon is now a two-dimensional player in the Rangers' lineup and has earned himself a new deal.
The two-year deal pays him a total of $1.95 million, and keeps him in a Blueshirt for fans to enjoy.
His prospects at the beginning of the year didn't look so good after he'd taken a major penalty for boarding Miro Heiskanen and would be sent back down to the AHL with the Hartford Wolfpack as a lesson.
He'd utilize his time in Hartford to grow instead of grieve over being penalized and demoted.
«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.»
Now, he's proven he's capable of being trusted after a solid run on the fourth line for the Rangers near the end of the year.
Rempe's played responsibly and grown his game on the defensive side of the puck, giving him a reason for the team to keep him around as a depth forward.
«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.»
We're not sure he'll reach Adam Lowry's level of play in the NHL, but he should keep aiming high.
The 22-year-old center will earn $975K AAV.
