Troubling news strikes Matt Rempe as he may never return to the New York Rangers
Matt Rempe made his best effort to improve his play during the offseason. Including training with Georges Laraque, and improving his skating.
Nevertheless, he couldn't beat Jimmy Vesey, or Adam Edstrom for a spot in the lineup. Even after being recalled multiple times by the Rangers.
Rempe hasn't quite lived up to the status that earned him a slew of fans last season.
Rempe gained folk-hero status last spring at the Garden with a series of fights and 71 penalty minutes in 17 appearances, but the 6-foot-9 winger has appeared in only three of 10 games this season for the Blueshirts, including a healthy scratch in Friday's win over the Senators.
Since he arrived in the AHL, he's not been great either.
in 5 AHL games, he has 2 PIMs, 5 shots on goal, -6 and 40.2% XG.
More or less he's just fluttering, though it is still early in the season, there's hope he can turn his game around.
He said he wanted to model his game after forward Adam Lowry.
Rempe said Kreider and Jets captain Adam Lowry are examples of the type of player he wants to become.
"I'm just trying to get better," Rempe said. "I feel like I can be a very effective bottom-six player who is fast, mean, physical, skates well, protects pucks, goes to the net, is good around the net, can play center or wing. I want to be a good penalty killer. I feel like I can be a guy one day on a shutdown line that can be very hard to play against and also create some offense around the net, bring pucks to the net. I've got a long way to go but that's all I'm working toward."
It appears that while he put a huge amount of effort into being a better player until he can put it into practice, it'll be difficult for the Rangers to recall him from Hartford, for other than being a bruising presence on the ice.
Honestly, who doesn't love a good tilt?
