The Rangers made a needed move the other day, sending Matt Rempe to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Rempe simply hadn’t been playing enough to warrant keeping him around. With just two games and 11 minutes TOI, Rempe was barely playing and it was going to stunt his development. Even though Rempe’s demotion was clearly needed to get him some ice time, there was some disappointment bordering on outrage following the move.
1. As mentioned above, Rempe’s demotion was about ice time. It’s clear Peter Laviolette doesn’t trust Rempe on the ice enough to offset the target on his back from the refs. This was evident against Utah, when he played just 3 minutes. His only other game was against Toronto, playing 7 very ineffective minutes. Rempe has the potential to be an NHL regular, but even when you take out the penalties (earned or not), he still has some growth to do.
2. Rempe’s demotion will help him get regular ice time with the Wolf Pack to work on these areas. Better reads are certainly on the list, as are skating and decision making. The kid is 22 years old. Making the jump to the NHL at that age–he was 21 during his run last season–is relatively rare for a fourth line player. If he wants to survive in the NHL and have a lengthy career, he needs to do more than just “be a threat.”
3. Though it is funny how Rempe’s demotion will impact teams like the Devils, who specifically signed Kurtis MacDermid to “deal with him.” MacDermid is not a good hockey player, never was. The Islanders just signed Matt Martin, and though this was after Rempe’s demotion, it’s still funny to see other teams try to get the Rempe effect. The truth is, outside of opponents galaxy braining things–and perhaps an odd encounter with a bitter Ryan Reaves–Rempe doesn’t really have an impact on the game anymore.
The keyword there is “anymore.” He most certainly had an impact when he was called up. But now with the league figuring him out and the refs honing in on him, he’s a liability. May as well work out part of that game, so the refs can start to remove that target.
4. If you’re looking at the Rangers, in particular their loss to Florida, and determined that Rempe was the missing link, then I’m unsure what kind of hockey you’re watching. The Rangers have trouble with aggressive teams like Florida because they can’t move the puck out of their own zone. Puck movers on the blue line to make that first pass are critical against teams like Florida. Outside of their top pair, the Rangers don’t have that.
Rempe’s demotion does not impact their ability to move the puck out of the zone.
5. One last thought, because Rempe’s demotion really shouldn’t be that big of a deal. This isn’t about the Rangers deciding to keep one player or another over him. Rempe’s demotion was a clear need both for his development and for the Rangers to avoid distractions when he plays.
To be clear, Rempe is not the distraction, the stories leading into games like Rempe vs. MacDermid or Rempe vs. Reaves are the distraction. The refs targeting him for sneezing is a distraction. It impacts the team on the ice, as they are–for the most part–playing with 11 forwards when Rempe plays.
Either Laviolette isn’t playing him, or the refs won’t leave him alone. It’s gotten to a point where even other teams’ fans and reporters are saying it’s ridiculous. Rempe can be a solid hockey player, he just needs a little more time.
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