While Matt Rempe has returned to the lineup after missing 24 games due to a broken thumb, he still isn’t 100 percent healthy, which has been evident in his overall game.
To kick off the 2025-26 season, Rempe was playing some of his best hockey, specifically from an offensive standpoint, as he took a role on the second power-play unit. He began to show tendencies of holding onto pucks in 5-on-5 settings, allowing him to generate more scoring chances.
Mike Sullivan also had a level of trust in Rempe that we didn't previously see from Peter Laviolette, playing him over 10 minutes in four of his first nine games.
However, Rempe’s positive momentum was abruptly halted after a fight against Ryan Reaves, which caused him to break his thumb.
In his past nine games, Rempe has failed to record a point and hasn’t played over ten minutes in a game.
Since his return from long-term injured reserve, the 23-year-old feels he is yet to get back to the way he was playing to start the season.
“Definitely had a really good start to the year before I got hurt,” Rempe said. “Playing a lot of minutes, I liked my game, but then injuries happened. I was out for about two months, and it hasn't gone as I wanted it to when I came back. It isn’t bad or anything, but it's just been okay. I want to make more of an impact every game, and I know that I can through my physicality and skating and stuff like that. If I can't fight, I better make sure that I'm having lots of hits every game. Gotta find ways to impact the team more.”
The problem for Rempe has stemmed from still not having full mobility in his thumb, which has impacted the way he holds his stick, and this limitation has trickled down to all aspects of the game.
“I could be better,” Rempe emphasized. “Just getting my thumb back. I just need to keep working. It's harder on my stick right now. It’s my top hand, so it’s hard in the battles and stuff, but there’s no excuse. I gotta win battles. I want to protect the puck better…
“I just gotta keep working on the strength. I just gotta keep trying to get that mobility back so I can hold my stick properly and fight again. Injuries happen, and I just gotta keep working through it.”
Being an enforcer is part of Rempe’s identity, and it’s what has made him such a fan favorite among the New York Rangers fan base.
As Rempe’s thumb continues to fully heal, he hasn’t been able to fight, putting those responsibilities onto Sam Carrick, who was forced to fight a much bigger Tom Wilson on Dec. 31 in retaliation for a hit he delivered on Noah Laba.
Rempe feels that he’s lost a big part of what made him successful at the NHL level by not physically having the ability to fight because of his thumb.
“It's been extremely frustrating. It’s a part of my job, and now, I can’t do that,” Rempe said of not being able to fight. “It really messes with your head a lot. That’s a big part of my job, and I take a lot of pride in that… It’s tough, but there are always going to be hurdles. Just take it as more learning, so I can just work and work to do better. It’s really frustrating right now, but it will get better. I gotta be better.”
There’s a unique element of physicality, energy, and excitement that Rempe is capable of bringing to the Rangers’ bottom six.
Sullivan believes some of those traits have been on display from Rempe since his return, but he shares the same sentiment that this lingering injury has hindered his full potential, with limitations still on how much he can contribute.
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“He still has some limitations. He's still in the process of getting completely healthy,” Sullivan said. “I think when Remps is at his best, he's a very disruptive player. He also creates a lot of anxiety for opponents when he's at his very best because he brings a certain energy level. He brings a physical intimidation to his game. I think that players take notice when he's on the ice, and that's when he's at his best.
“Setting his game of success is playing straight ahead, putting pucks in behind defensemen, allowing him to establish a forecheck, allowing him to impose his will physically on our opponents. I think when he does that, he could be an unnerving player for our opponents because of his size, his physical stature, and how hard he can be to play against. I think that's the game that's capable of bringing. I think he’s had elements of it where it's been very evident, and other times when it hasn't. What we've talked with Remps a little bit more about is just how to build more consistency around that.”
Rempe was candid and blunt when assessing where his play is at right now and where it should go moving forward,
Injuries aside, he clearly isn’t happy with his level of play and is hungry to improve.
“I think I could do a better job,” Rempe said. “I gotta f–cking get some big hits every game and get in there… We got to be a scary line to play against, and I think that starts with me. I gotta be able to do more, so just keep working.”