Matt Lempe Faces Another Setback This Season

It seems like Matt Lempe’s season isn’t shaping up well.

The forward for the Rangers is scheduled to have a second surgery on his left thumb, placing him on injured reserve, as reported by Molly Walker from the Post.

There’s no clear timeline for when he might be back on the ice.

The 23-year-old player’s difficulties began following a fight with Matt Reeves from the Sharks on October 23.

After missing 24 games, including all of November, he finally returned in mid-December. Lempe later disclosed that he had fractured his thumb in multiple places during the bout and underwent surgery.

Interestingly, he mentioned that the adrenaline from the game initially masked his injury.

Despite training well in January, Lempe struggled with ongoing thumb issues that hindered his performance. This led to him being a healthy scratch for seven games.

“You don’t really understand how much your thumb impacts everything you do,” he shared with Andrew Crane from the Post last month.

His return to the lineup was on January 26, and he managed to play in the last five games before the Winter Olympics break in 2026.

However, he has only managed to score one goal throughout 26 games this season, that goal occurring on March 11 against the Penguins.