When Matt Rempe first came up to the NHL two years ago, he was treated as a throwback to a different era of NHL hockey. Rempe was deployed by Peter Laviolette as nothing more than a glorified goon. This Matt Rempe circus would always be the same: Rempe got 5-7 minutes a night and would only be sent out as sideshow act. He was done no favors by his old head coach to help develop his game or turn him into a useful NHL player.
Things are very different for the Rangers in 2025, as the Matt Rempe circus has finally ended. The kid is proving he’s more than a side show.
Mike Sullivan has not only helped to turn the Blueshirts defensively but has also helped end the Matt Rempe circus and the conversation around Rempe just being a glorified goon. Rempe has seemingly earned the trust of the coaching staff and it’s been evident early this season with the fourth line sent out late in games, something that seemed unthinkable two years ago.
It also helped Rempe’s cause that he improved his skating in offseason to help make him a better and more useful player. But it’s also been Rempe’s composure during games. He’s not taking undisciplined penalties or just looking to cause chaos for the sake of chaos. He’s become a big part, pun intended, of why the Rangers fourth line has been so effective this season along with Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom.
The fourth line has been tenacious as a group, forechecking and getting in on opposing teams defenses to force turnovers and create chances for the Rangers. While they haven’t converted on all their chances, they’ve done a good job of creating and just being an overall pain to play against. Instead of being a sideshow with the Matt Rempe circus, Sully has allowed this line to thrive.
If there’s anything that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have shown, it’s that in order to win a Stanley Cup you need to have a bottom six that’s tough to play against and can score in tough situations. While the Rangers fourth line hasn’t showed the scoring punch as of yet, they’ve shown that they can absolutely be a handful to play against and that will be a nightmare for teams late in the season to play against.
The good news for the Blueshirts is that thanks to coaching, the Matt Rempe circus has ended and he has shown how useful he can be to a team’s bottom six. What started out as a sideshow NHL career as an ode to Zac Rinaldo has now become something closer to Brian Boyle. We can only thank positive player development along with maturation by the player. Thankfully, the circus has finally left MSG and we can only hope it’s for good.
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