On Thursday night (24th October), the New York Rangers demoted young enforcer Matt Rempe to the AHL. This move came after the team suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of Florida Panthers.
This season, Rempe has struggled for game time. In the seven matches the Rangers have played so far, the 22-year-old was part of just two of them. Due to this limited time, Rempe failed to register a single point.
What’s more surprising is that he did not even get any penalty minutes. Since debuting in the NHL, he has established himself as a true enforcer while often getting involved in scarps with other players. The 6-foot-9 star picked up 17 fights, including bouts against Matt Martin, Nic Deslauriers, and Ryan Reaves . All of this resulted in him picking up 71 penalty minutes.
Rempe will now be playing for the Rangers’ affiliate, Hartford Wolf Pack. In 96 regular-season games for the minor league team, Rempe has picked up 22 points (14 goals and 8 assists) while collecting 186 penalty minutes. As per TSN’s Insider Chris Johnston, the exception is that he (Rempe) will make his way back to the NHL at some point.
Ryan Reaves admits he came close to rematch with Matt Rempe during Maple Leafs-Rangers game
Last season, when the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off the New York Rangers, all eyes were on Ryan Reaves and Matt Rempe. The two enforcers, who are known for their fighting skills, dropped their gloves against each other and traded blows.
This led to fans expecting a round two between the two of them when the Maple Leafs took on the New York Rangers last Saturday night. However, this time, no fight took place between them. Reaves has now admitted that he came close to a rematch with the youngster. As per TSN’s Mark Masters, Reaves issued a warning to Rempe during the warmups.
I told him, ‘If you go out and do something,’ I would give him one and he buried his own player. That was about it, so not much going on.
Ryan Reaves said regarding Matt Rempe as per Mark Masters.
One thing that has surprised many is that Reaves has not dropped gloves with anyone this season so far. His decision not to get involved in fights has raised some eyebrows among the hockey community.
The Rangers and the Maple Leafs will now face each other in March 2025. With Rempe down in the AHL (he could be back by this time) and Reaves refusing to fight anyone, fans must wait a little longer to witness round two between these two enforcers.
