NEWARK - Matt Rempe knows exactly where he stands this time of year, and he’s not pretending otherwise.
For players fighting to stick on an opening-night roster, preseason isn’t just about getting legs under them. It’s about urgency.
It’s about proving, shift by shift, that there’s a reason to stay. Rempe said Monday that he feels that pull as the Rangers opened their 2026 preseason against the Devils at Prudential Center.
“One hundred percent,’’ he said Monday, before the Rangers opened their 2026 preseason against the Devils in Prudential Center. “Being on the team last couple years, I love this.
I love it. Last year I was hurt, and wasn't really around at all.
And it's been a long time for me since my last game. All this [adds to] the sense of desperation I need.
I want to be here, bad.’’
The Rangers dressed a lineup that was light on familiar names, with most of the regulars holding out for Tuesday’s preseason game at the Garden against the Islanders. The group on the ice Monday looked much closer to a Hartford Wolf Pack opening-night roster than a Rangers lineup, even if it met the NHL’s preseason requirement that eight NHL/AHL veterans be in uniform.
That made Rempe one of the few players in the lineup with a realistic shot at being in Boston when the season opens Sept. 29.
Even so, his appearance Monday raised a question: was this a sign the organization wasn’t expecting him to make the big club? Coach Mike Sullivan pushed back on that idea.
“Remps just hasn't played, and that's one of the reasons why we're getting him in the lineup tonight,’’ Sullivan said. “He just hasn't played in while, and so he needs to play games.’’
Training camp, though, has told a slightly different story. For much of the first few days, Rempe appeared to be trailing 23-year-old Jaroslav Chmelar in the battle for the fourth-line right wing spot. Chmelar has taken most of the reps on the fourth line with left wing Tye Kartye and center Joe Veleno, while Rempe has rotated in.
It’s a familiar role for Rempe, who burst onto the scene in the Stadium Series game against the Islanders at MetLife Stadium in 2024 and became a quick fan favorite after fighting Matt Martin on his first shift. At 6-9 and 268 pounds, he brings obvious force to the lineup, using his size to hammer opponents and pressure them into mistakes.
“Obviously he brings a dimension to our team, and he's very good at it,’’ Sullivan said. “He's an unnerving player.
He's a disruptive player. He's a guy that, when he's in your lineup, your opponents take notice.
And so, he has the ability to create that anxiety, and helping us [to be] better on the forecheck and, creating turnovers and loose pucks and building momentum for our team.’’
Last season, though, injury derailed him. A thumb injury suffered in an early-season fight with ex-Ranger Ryan Reaves led to two surgeries and ended his year after 26 games, in which he had one goal and 11 penalty minutes.
Chmelar made the most of his own chance late in the season, and the numbers show why the competition has tightened. At 6-5 and 238 pounds, he is also a strong forechecker and hitter, and he added four goals in 28 games for the Rangers last season. Rempe has five goals in 85 career games across three seasons.
There’s also a roster wrinkle that could matter. Rempe would need to clear waivers for the Rangers to send him to Hartford, while Chmelar, still on his rookie contract, would not. If the Rangers worry about another team claiming Rempe, they could keep him with the NHL club and send Chmelar down instead.
Asked whether he has spoken with the coaching staff about what he needs to do to secure his spot, Rempe said he has not.
“I think I know what's expected of me,’’ he said. “I know what my game is. I know what's I know what what's expected of me and what I’ve got to bring.’’
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For the Islanders, the result put a familiar offseason concern back in view: how cleanly they can handle a game when the margin tightens and a single turnover swings the night. New Jerseys edge came late, with Connor Brown providing the difference in the third period, and the way the Devils managed to turn a close preseason opener into a win is the sort of detail the Islanders will be circling as they sort out where they stand before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
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