Matt Rempe was assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League by the New York Rangers on Thursday. And that’s not a bad thing.
The 22-year-old forward played just two of the first seven games this season, averaging a meager 5:39 TOI. He was scratched again in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
His lack of playing time and opportunity boils down to Adam Edstrom’s better all-around play on the fourth line since the start of training camp and coach Peter Laviolette’s preference to use Jonny Brodzinski instead of Rempe on a line with Sam Carrick.
Not that Laviolette isn’t a fan of Rempe’s, but the coach is more taken with Brodzinski’s speed and two-way game than the impact Rempe makes physically and emotionally to the Rangers lineup. At least right now.
Whether one agrees or not with Laviolette, if that’s his thinking, it’s best for Rempe to play — and play a lot of minutes — in the AHL. The kid put in a ton of work this summer to improve his skating, offensive skill set, defensive game and, yes, fighting. So, let him spread his wings, as the cliche goes, and actually play important minutes to put his improved skills to the test. Think big picture here for the Rangers.
It should be a mandate that Rempe play 12-15 minutes a night in Hartford. And that must include time on the penalty kill, perhaps even on a second power-play unit. Let him take face-offs, play some at center and some on the wing.
This move absolutely should be seen as a positive. This is an opportunity for Rempe, certainly one he wasn’t getting in New York. There’s no negative here, no hurt feelings. Rempe is not the first 22-year-old to be sent to the minor leagues to work on his game and gain valuable playing experience.
Lest we forget that Rempe is a sixth-round pick still finding his way. Brennan Othmann, 21, a first-round pick, is also honing his game at Hartford. It’s what you do when you have a deep NHL roster and don’t need to rush younger players into the lineup.
Rempe is a rare commodity, at 6-foot-9 and with an energy and personality that his teammates and MSG crowd feed off of. The Rangers aren’t kicking him to the curb here. This is an opportunity, not a punishment.
“If he wasn’t going to play tomorrow, then there’s an opportunity for him to go and play games (for Hartford). I think that’s really important for a young player,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette explained Friday.
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Rangers assign Matt Rempe to Hartford
If there’s disappointment here for Rempe it’s that he didn’t get more of a chance with Jimmy Vesey on LTIR with a lower-body injury. After his much-hyped offseason, Rempe was far from a standout in training camp or the preseason. But Vesey’s injury seemed to offer him an opportunity to get in the lineup, even on an alternating basis.
The reason he didn’t should be seen as a positive. It means that Edstrom, Carrick and Brodzinski are building solid chemistry and playing well together on the fourth line. That trio has outscored opponents 2-0 in 38:01 TOI this season and owns a 67.5 percent advantage in scoring chances when on the ice together, per Natural Stat Trick.
Edstrom, Carrick and Brodzinski right now also pass the eye test. They’ve been very good. Tough to play against and opportunistic offensively. With Rempe in and Brodzinski out of the lineup, the fourth line — in a very limited sample size — has received less ice time and been outchanced 5-2.
Though some things, like Edstrom’s much improved play from last season and the addition of the hard-nosed Carrick at center, have changed for the fourth line, others have not. Laviolette still likes what Brodzinski brings to the lineup and does not trust Rempe enough. At least for now.
That’s a key word here. Trust. The Rangers coach didn’t completely trust Rempe as a rambunctious rookie last season, no matter how much he likes the kid, and most definitely doesn’t trust him now.
It’s Rempe’s job to go down to Hartford and prove to Laviolette that he can handle a bigger role and can be trusted with NHL minutes.
You hear it all the time in hockey. Process. It’s always about the process. And so, too, is this decision by the Rangers. It’s part of Rempe’s process as a young player to become a unique weapon for the Rangers.
Simply, this is the right move for both player and team.
