On June 18, the New York Rangers re-signed forward Matt Rempe to a two-year contract extension worth $975,000 per year.
During the 2024-25 season, Rempe led the Rangers in penalty minutes (PIM) with 67 PIM and finished sixth on the team in hits despite playing in just 42 games. He also set career highs for goals (3), assists (5) and points (8).
The 2024-25 season was a success for the 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward statistically but not so much when it comes to discipline. After he boarded and elbowed Dallas Star’s defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Dec. 20, he was handed an eight-game suspension by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
The Calgary, Alberta-native has become a fan favorite over the course of the past two seasons because he plays an old school brand of hockey. Rempe plays the body, forechecks hard and will drop the gloves to defend his teammates, but he needs to be wary of crossing the line.
Signing Rempe gives new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan a gritty depth forward whom the Rangers believe has room to grow. It will be interesting to see how much ice time Sullivan is willing to give Rempe, who averaged just 8:30 of ice time in 2024-25.
Rempe was selected by the Blueshirts in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft and has paid dividends for the club despite his low draft ranking.
