Matt Rempe continues to gradually fight his way back to the Rangers’ lineup.
The 6-foot-9 slugger shed the red noncontact jersey and was a full participant in practice Friday for the first time since Oct. 23, when he was injured in a bout with San Jose enforcer Ryan Reaves.
“He will not play tomorrow,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said, referring to Saturday’s game against the Canadiens at the Garden. “He was in full contact today. Given the time frame that he’s been out, we think it’s important that he gets a couple of practices under his belt in a full capacity.
“We’ll monitor as he goes, but he’s getting close.”
After practice, Rempe was seen giving fighting tips on the ice to teammates Noah Laba and Matthew Robertson.
Injured defenseman Adam Fox (upper body) skated on his own before the session. The one-time Norris Trophy winner has been sidelined since Nov. 29 and was placed on long-term injured reserve.
Fox has missed five of the minimum 10 games required for a stint on LTIR.
Sullivan also is slated to coach Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
He said he’s in regular contact with general manager Bill Guerin about the American roster, which is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Guerin, also the GM of the Wild, was in attendance at the Garden last weekend for the Blueshirts’ games against the Avalanche and the Golden Knights.
“I talk to Bill a fair amount. We’ve had a number of calls throughout the whole season,” Sullivan said. “We had a Zoom call a week ago with the whole group. So there’s been a fair amount of communication throughout the process.
“We all acknowledge the uniqueness of it, and then we try to put a process in place that is objective as it can possibly be.”
