New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe hasn’t spent much time in the NHL yet, but he’s been throwing hands like a seasoned veteran since his arrival in February.
Rempe has played in just 10 NHL games, and he’s set to miss a handful more after landing a four-game suspension as a result of his dangerous hit against New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler during the Rangers’ 3–1 win on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
Rempe received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct as a result of his hit on Siegenthaler, and Devils defenseman Kurtis Macdermid, who was eager to drop gloves and have a go at Rempe, was also issued a major and sent for an early shower in the aftermath of the hit that left his teammate injured.
Matt Rempe has been suspended 4 games for elbowing Jonas Siegenthaler pic.twitter.com/rJUn1bXzOx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 12, 2024
NHL Player Safety determined that Rempe’s hit was both dangerous and intentional.
“Rempe chooses to flare his elbow both up and away from his body in dangerous fashion, driving it directly into the head of Siegenthaler with substantial force,” said a spokesperson for the NHL Player Safety.
Rempe will miss New York’s next four games, a stretch that includes matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.
This season, Rempe has quickly racked up 54 penalty minutes, just less than the 56 minutes he’s spent on the ice in his first 10 games.
After Monday’s game, Devils interim coach Travis Green admitted he thought Rempe, who has received game misconducts in each of his two meetings against New Jersey, intended to injure Siegenthaler with his hit.
“Everyone who knows the game at all knows that [Siegenthaler] is in a vulnerable spot,” Green said. “Call it predatorial or whatever you want to call it. It's definitely not the first time that it's happened, and it's the second time against us.”
