DALLAS — There was a lot to like about Matt Rempe’s first game back with the Rangers in three-and-a-half weeks, until the 22-year-old rookie was thrown out for the fourth time in his 22nd career NHL game.
Rempe drew three penalties in the second period alone, in addition to posting five hits and one shot on goal in 5:27 of ice time in the Blueshirts’ 3-1 win over the Stars on Friday night at American Airlines Center.
After drilling Miro Heiskanen into the boards from behind and knocking the Stars defenseman to the ice, however, Rempe became the center of a scuffle in front of Dallas’ bench.
Because his right elbow came up on the hit, Rempe earned a 5-minute major and game misconduct to end his night.
“I thought he led off a little bit at the end. He’s just such a big guy,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “We killed the five, and we’re moving on.”
It’s possible Rempe could face supplemental discipline for the hit, but that won’t be announced until Saturday.
Down a forward after the Kaapo Kakko trade just before the NHL’s roster freeze for the holidays Thursday at 11:59 p.m., the Rangers recalled Rempe on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-8 ½ forward will remain with the Rangers through at least the next three games due to the league’s halt on all roster movement, which lifts Dec. 28 at 12:01 a.m.
“I thought he had a big impact on the game,” Laviolette said. “We’d like to stay away from the 5-minute major, but he’s doing his best to hit bodies and make a difference in the game. Our guys really rallied around that.”
After Rempe bounced between the NHL club and the minors for the first six-and-a-half weeks of the season, Rempe settled into his new role with the Hartford Wolf Pack as both a top-six skater and a special teams contributor.
While the start of the 2024-25 campaign hasn’t gone the way Rempe presumably imagined it would after he burst onto the NHL scene last season, the 22-year-old still has relished his increased AHL responsibilities and maintained a positive outlook on how it will all help him in the long run.
“I wouldn’t say a reset. I think it’s all just development,” Rempe said of how he perceived his Hartford assignment before the Friday victory. “I got a long journey ahead of me. I’ve come a long way in a short time and I think that the best thing for me is to just keep developing and stuff like that.
“First years in Hartford, I don’t think I played over 12 minutes once. I don’t think I played a single second of special teams ever. I think that for me to go and suddenly play 18 minutes and be very effective, as well, not just be given that, earn it as well.”
