The New York Rangers are entering the offseason with plenty of questions. The Blueshirts just won the President’s Trophy with a franchise record 114 points and made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons.
However, just like in 2022, after winning two games in the conference final, the Rangers lost the rest to be eliminated in six games. Unlike 2022, the Blueshirts were supposed to be there, and another season without lifting the Stanley Cup has many questioning what needs to change this offseason.
President and General Manager Chris Drury has already made a couple of moves in re-signing restricted free agent Kaapo Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million and placing veteran forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers in hopes of alleviating the three seasons remaining on the six-year, $21.85 million contract ($3.641 million average annual value) that he signed back in 2021.
There is still plenty to do before the off-season fully kicks off, including evaluating what roles players within the organization will have next season.
Matt Rempe was a pleasant surprise for the Rangers this season
Arguably, no Ranger captured the fanbase’s heart more last season than rookie forward Matt Rempe. The 6 ‘9 forward was the enforcer the Blueshirts lacked, and his constant big hits and fighting led to the team feeling like a more physical threat.
While Rempe’s presence when the 21-year-old was on the ice was certainly felt, it wasn’t frequent. In 17 regular season games, the Canada native had one goal and one assist while averaging just 5:38 of ice time per night. That was partly due to the penalty minutes he had to serve during games. Rempe racked up 71 penalty minutes, the third most on the team.
In the postseason, Rempe was in and out of the lineup, appearing in 11 games, scoring one goal while averaging 6:07 of ice time per game.
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What role could Rempe play next season?
That could have been more of a coach’s decision with Peter Laviolette shortening his bench during crucial moments, but the lack of playing time can not be understated; Rempe hurt the Rangers, requiring forwards to play more time on ice per game, and that caught up to them during a physical series against the Florida Panthers.
In terms of next season, Rempe’s role could vary. There is a strong chance he will begin the 2024-25 campaign on the Rangers’ fourth line, but if his ice time continues to be around six minutes a night, the novelty of Rempe may be hurting the Blueshirts, and they could be better off keeping him in the AHL until they feel more comfortable giving him more ice time.
