Matt Lempe made two substitutions in the third period of the Garden’s 4-2 loss to the Panthers on Monday, and young linemate Adam Edstrom also sat each until the final 13:49 of the game.
And if head coach Peter Laviolette cuts his bench this much in this NHL No. 1 overall playoff game, what are the chances the Tallmen will be on the roster when Friday’s trade deadline approaches? Or?
The Rangers never backed down in this game against a crafty opponent who basically tackled every loose puck up front. Perhaps encouraged by Rempe’s performance, they held on. Lempe had a game-high five hits in 6 minutes, 53 seconds of ice time, giving him a total of 28 hits in 40 minutes, 32 seconds over his eight-game career.
Anticipation builds every time Rempe steps on the ice. His teammates seemed energized by his presence. However, it is unclear whether No. 73 will be on the roster when the Rangers play the Blues at home on Saturday.
If GM Chris Drury can strengthen his top nine this week — that’s what he’ll be tasked with doing against the Canes, whose Blueshirts lead Carolina by six points and are in control of the game in the metro — When Rempe may become immediate (and possibly short). Terminology) Victim of numbers.
The Post has learned that the Blueshirts are in talks with Seattle over rental center Alex Wennberg, who was identified as a target in the space two weeks ago. Wennberg, 29, is a two-way, responsible center who can also play on the wing if desired or needed. The Blueshirts are believed to offer a second-rounder and a mid-major player for the Swede.
In this game, Barclay Goodrow played between Will Quill and Jimmy Vesey, while Laviolette faced the unit of Nick Cousins, Sam Bennett, and Matthew Tkachuk. Wennberg will likely replace Goodrow as the third-line center. But will Goodrow be moved down to the fourth line, or could he move to the check-line right wing?
If the Rangers acquire a right winger to skate with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, and Drury is said to pitch in place of Frank Vatrano, then Kaapo Kakko would move back to the third line. Will that happen? These questions cannot be answered until the deadline approaches.
Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek is reportedly demanding a high price for Vatrano, who has one year left on his contract, and Drury is also considering a first-rounder to bring No. 77 back to the New York 2s. It is also reported that he is reluctant to sacrifice himself. Years after his role in reaching the conference finals.
And, no, Kakko is most definitely not part of a deal like this.
The Rangers’ constant need to strengthen may have been alleviated by Lempe’s promotion. His shift is accompanied by another murmur. But Laviolette and his staff may believe the 21-year-old is too raw to hand over playoff responsibilities. It’s very difficult for a team to dress a player who might get seven hours of ice time in a postseason game.
If the Rangers add two forwards, there could be a trickle-down effect that could eliminate the slots for Lempe and Edstrom, who have changed the tone of the team over the past two weeks.
Please note that there is no limit on the number of participants after the deadline. Don’t forget, too, that the Rangers will be allowed four recalls from the AHL Wolfpack until Hartford is done with the year. In theory, Rempe and Edstrom could be disqualified on Tuesday and recalled after Friday’s deadline.
But that leaves the Blueshirts with just two recalls and must comply with the cap for the rest of the regular season. Drury has about $4.383 million in cap space to maneuver.
Since the All-Star break, the Rangers have been competing head-to-head with the league’s strongest teams, and they showed more than enough tenacity to defeat Dallas. They beat Colorado and Tampa Bay. They lost in a shootout to Toronto. They beat both their intramural rivals in New Jersey and Island State.
Among the most imperfect teams in the NHL, the Rangers are one of them.
Over the next four days, Drury and the organization will attempt to shore up the current lineup without giving away the keys to the future. It will certainly be interesting to see where Lempe lands in this equation.
