Matt Rempe’s stint back in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack lasted just four days and two games.
The New York Rangers recalled their young enforcer ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. Rempe did not record a point in his two minor-league games and was a minus-3.
The purpose of the move to Hartford was to get the 6-foot-9, rugged forward more playing time. He has averaged just 5:37 of ice time in his 19 career NHL regular season games.
“Got to go play 17, 18, 19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations,” Rempe told the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. “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.”
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette immediately placed Rempe on the club’s fourth line at their last practice before making the trip down to DC. Per USA Today’s Vince Mercogliano, Rempe skated on the right wing of a unit also featuring Adam Edstrom and Sam Carrick.
Rempe has played in just two of the team’s eight games this season and has averaged 5:38 of ice time per night. He did not record a point in either game and has just 3 points (2g, 1a) across 30 NHL games including his 11-game stint with the Rangers during last season’s playoffs.
Rempe may be asked to answer the bell again on Tuesday night as the Capitals will ice a lineup including Wilson, Brandon Duhaime, and Dylan McIlrath. Laviolette would not admit that the presence of those heavies in Washington’s lineup was the reason for Rempe’s potential involvement.
“No, we have anywhere from 21, 22, 23 players on our roster on any given night,” Laviolette told Walker. “We’re going to put the roster in that we feel gives us the best chance of being successful.
“We make the decisions based on what we think we need for any given night. Him going down and playing 2 games – that’s great for him and for his development.”
McIlrath is one of Rempe’s former combatants from the two’s time in the AHL during the 2022-23 campaign.
The veteran blueliner took the decisive victory in their first meeting and then seemingly challenged Rempe to a rematch a year later. Rempe, as he did later with Wilson, appeared to decline McIlrath’s request.
Puck drop for the Metropolitan Division matchup is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Capital One Arena. Washington and New York split their regular-season series last season, 2-2, with the Capitals winning both of the games on home ice.
