Last year didn’t quite go as planned for Matt Rempe.

The big-bodied winger again spent the entire summer working on his all-around game with hopes of taking on an even larger role in the Rangers’ lineup.

He began the year skating back on the fourth line, but lasted just nine games before suffering a thumb injury during a fight with long-time enforcer Ryan Reaves.

Rempe was never quite the same, though, as he was forced to undergo two separate procedures sandwiched between a premature return to the lineup in December.

At the time, the 24-year-old couldn’t even grip his stick properly, but after months of grinding this offseason he is finally getting back closer to 100 percent.

“It’s gotten a lot better,” he told Mollie Walker of the New York Post at the Shoulder Check Showcase. “It’s been a work in progress but got lots of work done on it and a lot of people helping -- so I’m happy with where it’s at now.”

While most of his focus was on his hand, Rempe did also continue working on improving his all-around skillset ahead of what’s shaping up to be an important camp for him.

The big fourth-liner’s spot in the lineup is less certain this time around with some of New York’s other young talent stepping up in the bottom-six down the stretch.

All of that, plus his impending restricted free agency, has Rempe motivated as we draw closer to training camp.

“I played in just nine games last year and after that I was shelved,” he said. “I know I’ve got a lot to prove -- I’ve got to showcase myself and come back a lot stronger -- I’m the most motivated you can be.”

Popular in the Community