Matt Rempe could be suspended for matchup with New Jersey Devils after scary hit to the head

The New Jersey Devils are anticipating a huge matchup right before the Christmas break. The NHL set the Devils-Rangers game for a Monday afternoon two days before the holiday. It was a strange scheduling decision, but it will be a highly-anticipated game between two teams in very different positions. 

The New York Rangers have been restructuring their NHL roster, already trading Kaapo Kakko and Jacob Trouba. The way they did it made them a national topic for weeks and weeks. It’s not where the Rangers want or expected to be, but it’s where they find themselves. The bottom of the Eastern Conference isn’t great, so they will likely right the ship and make the playoffs, but for now, we’re enjoying the downfall.

As part of the restructure, the Rangers called up human concussion creator Matt Rempe. The Devils have a long history with Rempe, who has not been able to finish a game against his Hudson River Rival because he keeps getting thrown out. He had multiple questionable hits, one unquestionably dirty hit against Jonas Siegenthaer that injured him, and he got into a fight with Kurtis MacDermid off the faceoff that ended his night seconds into the game. 

Matt Rempe can't help himself, lays another dirty hit that could cause him to miss New Jersey Devils matchup

The Devils expected Rempe to be back in the lineup, looking to make an “impact” on the game and to help turn the Rangers season around. Unfortunately for everyone in the NHL, Rempe can’t help himself. In a matchup with the Dallas Stars, Rempe once again put a questionable hit on Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen. We’ll let you decide what happens next for Rempe.

We understand how slow motion can change how this play is judged, but there are a few things that are undeniable about this play: Rempe has his elbow up the entire time, the head is the primary point of contact, and Rempe shows no attempt to brace himself for the boards. It's possible he wasn't trying to hurt Heiskanen, but it's also possible with the way that the play went and his history that he absolutely was.

Rempe was kicked out of the game and was given a major penalty. After multiple hearings, the NHL will likely make a move and suspend Rempe. Well, we'll see. We've been floored by NHL Player's Safety in the past, but this one seems pretty clear.

Rempe was suspended for four games for that hit to the head on Siegenthaler. That was just in March, so Rempe is very much considered a multiple-time offender for this hit. We might see a significant suspension. If Rempe is given an in-person hearing, which we expect, this could be a suspension that causes Rempe to miss the Devils' next game against the Rangers on January 9th.