Rangers' Matt Rempe's Bold Statement About 2026-27 Season

The New York Rangers finished the 2025-26 season in underwhelming fashion, eighth in the Metropolitan Division under head coach Mike Sullivan.

Sullivan was sold as a coach who could help return the team to glory, but finished the season with a record of 34-39-9 and 77 points. A meager showing from what Peter Laviolette did with the team, taking them to their peak, winning a Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24. 

Now, with subtractions of Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Quick (retired), and Vincent Trocheck, the team will be a legitimate underdog in an Eastern Conference it dominated nearly three years ago. 

Rangers' power-forward Matt Rempe has been one bright spot in the team's ongoing downturn and had a bold statement to the media about the future of the team. 

Rempe feels like the team needs to come back with a vengeance; however, without a 1st-line center and a weakened forward core, this statement feels disingenuous to those who have followed the Rangers lately. 

Matt Rempe on #NYR coming into new season: “I think we got to come back with vengeance.” pic.twitter.com/uWBY59qn4p

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) July 30, 2026

While you cannot solely blame Rempe for all of the Rangers' woes, as a fourth-liner who, until he dedicated his time to improving his game, was an enforcer. 

He made his name in Madison Square Garden going up against the heavyweights in the NHL, including Matt Martin, Ryan Reaves, and Nic Deslauriers. 

The fan favorite scored 1 goal in 26 games last season and would play a full 82-games due to the towering forward nursing his injuries. 

 Rempe will undoubtedly be a fixture in the Rangers' lineup as a bruising forward who can shoot and fight. Mike Sullivan gave us an idea of what role he'll continue to serve last season when asked what he brings to the team. 

“When he’s in the lineup, he makes an impact,” Sullivan said. “He creates anxiety for our opponents. That’s an area where I think he can help us. He gets in on the forecheck, he leans on people, he goes to the net front, he makes it hard on people. He makes an impact on the game with the way he plays.”

But will he be able to save a retooling team from the abyss of failure alone? Here's hoping the new additions add to the teams luck in the future, they'll need it.