With Jimmy Vesey likely coming back from a lower-body injury soon, Matt Rempe could be sent back down to the AHL.
The return of Jimmy Vesey will likely impact that of Matt Rempe.
The New York Rangers are set to play their tenth game of the season on Friday night, meaning Vesey will be eligible to return from long-term injured reserve.
During a practice in training camp, Vesey went down and was laboring in pain on the ice as he quickly limped his way back into the locker room.
As of late though, the 31-year-old forward has been a full participant at practice recently and is no longer wearing a non-contact jersey.
With Vesey inching towards a return, Rempe is the odd man out in the lineup.
Rempe has already been a healthy scratch through the majority of games for the Rangers with Jonny Brozinski taking his place and his playing time will take even more of a dip due to Vesey's arrival to the lineup.
Last week, Rempe was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League where he played in two games before being called back up for New York’s Tuesday night matchup against the Washington Capitals.
Peter Laviolette has been on the record stating that he wants Rempe to get more experience playing an increased role in the AHL in order to help his development and the 22-year-old also felt playing with the Wolf Pack benefited him.
“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations,” Rempe said about his time in Hartford. “It was good for me... Hadn't played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side and play in a top-six role.”
Once Vesey officially comes back, Rempe could be sent down to the AHL, which would be the best way for him to develop properly.
It just doesn't make sense for him to stay with the Rangers, strictly in an enforcer role while he gets a limited amount of ice time.
The decision on Rempe’s future with the team this season should come sooner rather than later when Vesey is officially ready to play.