Matt Lempe is valuable to the Rangers in a fourth-line role with Agent Chaos, even beyond his ice time. He is an important and unique part of this dynamic. He deserves to play in the season opener Oct. 9 at Pittsburgh.
However, I wonder if Rempe would be a more valuable player for the Blueshirts in the upcoming playoffs if he started the season in Hartford. The idea would be to give the 22-year-old a tablespoon of playing time. He was able to learn and adapt to a more dedicated checking role.
It's a question, not an answer.
The entire marathon is in front of you. The Rangers should be a very good team, but not good enough to take an 82-game season for granted. The building blocks of a championship are built up throughout the journey. There are no shortcuts to success.
But at the same time, this season will not be considered a success if it does not end with a run through the Canyon of Heroes. That's the burden this team is carrying, but not because of 1994 or 1940, but because of this core that has been in place for the most part since last spring, and the spring before that, and the spring before that, and 2020-21. is. Employment will be waiting for you. This is the last ride.
That's how I got it. 33-year-old Riley Smith to help the club fill the top-six right-wing hole rather than leaving it open for perhaps Brennan Osman or Will Quill to develop there. I can understand why he traded it.
It's understandable why the club signed 32-year-old Sam Carrick to fill the fourth-line hole left on the left side by the departure of Barclay Goodrow, without considering Rempe, who played a lot of center in junior hockey. .
I get that, but if Lempe could accelerate his development by improving his skating and balance while learning an AHL spot for the first three months, then Sam Bennett could continue to work shift after shift with him. Would you like a playoff series?
It's probably unrealistic this season and probably next season as well. However, the goal of the hierarchy should be to move Lempe to the center if the opportunity arises. And while the NHL is not a development league, as Chris Kreider famously said upon the club's entry into the post-letter world, I urge head coach Peter Laviolette and his staff not to limit their imaginations. I also strongly urge you not to be constrained by a sense of urgency to win. Every game in October and November.
Because the rewards can be very meaningful.
A year ago, Rempe reported that he was camping in the surrounding area before his impressive performance to reach the finals on October 1st. This year, of course, he reported as the incumbent, even though he only played 17 games. game in his NHL career.
“I don't think the mentality has changed at all, but this year I know the work I put in over the summer and I want to show it off,” Rempe told the Post. “I feel like my game has gotten a lot better this year.
“I think I surprised myself a little bit with how camp went last year, but this year I know what I can do and I want to show it. I have to earn everything, That's what I want and that's who I am. I'm never going to get comfortable, I'm just going to earn, earn, earn everything.”
Rempe played in his second preseason game at the Garden on Tuesday, with Carrick in the center and Adam Edstrom in the varsity lineup for the Blueshirts' 5-4 win over AHL Utica. I skated on the right side, left. That's a potential fourth line to start the season, but Johnny Brodzinski will likely make a bigger claim for the left wing position.
The Rangers' room for growth lies in their young players. That applies to Lempe, but perhaps more importantly, it also applies to Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Quill, Quandre Miller, and Braden Schneider. Veterans generally have established their own limits. The children did not come near.
The team would lose a key piece of the equation by sending Rempe to the Wolfpack for a few months of intensive academic apprenticeship. I would be surprised if it was being considered. But it will be important for Laviolette to give Rep. Rempe ice time in New York, not the time normally given to fourth-liners who don't commit penalties.
The winger appeared in 17 games last year, but logged more than 6 minutes, 00 seconds of ice time in just six. In fact, he spent more time on penalties than he did on the ice in five games. I can't do that this year.
Laviolette has often talked about finding balance in this camp. One of those is relying on reliable veterans and giving the more volatile youngsters the ice time they need to blossom so they're ready to take the lead when the playoffs start. It's about finding the balance between.
One of them is wearing number 73.
Let's consider the possibilities.
