UPDATE: In a surprise move, the New York Rangers have called Matt Rempe back up from Hartford, meaning he will be eligible for Thursday night's matchup with the New Jersey Devils as his suspension will be over.
This season, the New Jersey Devils have avoided Matt Rempe in both of their matchups with their biggest rivals, the New York Rangers. In their first matchup, Rempe was playing with the Hartford Whalers as the Rangers were trying to get the most talented lineup on the ice. Then, in their second matchup, Rempe was suspended for an illegal hit on Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
Rempe's suspension was expected to last until the Rangers' next matchup with the Devils this Thursday. However, things changed for the Rangers on Monday. They claimed Arthur Kaliyev from the Los Angeles Kings. The forward has scoring upside, but he's had an issue staying consistent. The Kings finally took a chance and put him on waivers, and the Rangers, looking for young and cheap talent, put him on the roster.
To make the move work, the Rangers sent Rempe to Hartford in the AHL. Maybe this is just an easy move since Rempe is still suspended, but with the Devils and Rangers facing off on Thursday, it seems unlikely the Rangers would change course that quickly and bring him back for the Hudson River Rivalry.
The acquisition of Arthur Kaliyev will likely keep Matt Rempe out of the lineup against the New Jersey Devils.
The interesting thing in all this is this basically pauses the Rempe suspension, which has one game left on it. He is suspended from the NHL, so playing in the AHL doesn't impact his suspension at all. So, if he stays in the AHL for tomorrow's game against the Stars, he won't even be eligible for the Devils-Rangers matchup.
Rempe has been a dangerous player, and the Devils have been on the brunt end of that multiple times. He hasn't been able to finish one game against the Devils because of his tactics. He really derailed Jonas Siegenthaler after a hit that caused a serious concussion. He also had a dangerous hit on Nathan Bastian, and if it wasn't for a fight with Kurtis MacDermid in his third matchup, who knows who Rempe would have injured in matchup #3.
Many expected Rempe to be a little tamer after his most recent suspension, but he often can't help himself.
Could the Rangers immediately change face and bring Rempe up before Thursday? We suppose, but it doesn't make a ton of sense. They could have just done the corresponding move in the first place. It would be interesting if, after all the conversation around Rempe and the Devils, they didn't even face off in 2024-25.
There is one more matchup between the Devils and the Rangers after Thursday's game at Madison Square Garden. They will face off on April 5th in Newark. We should know what the Rangers are playing for at that point, so it might be a very important matchup for both teams. Whether Rempe is there or not depends on multiple factors, including if he gets himself suspended again.