The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging it exists, or so the saying goes.
If those words are indeed true, then it appears that the New York Rangers have, after a highly disconcerting start to their season, fully embraced the fact that there is indeed something very wrong that requires immediate attention.
The recent call-ups of forwards Brett Berard and Matt Rempe from Hartford of the American Hockey League looks like an admission that the roster as currently constructed isn’t working – not just structurally, but from the standpoint of daily energy and commitment to the task at hand, requiring a fresh look and approach.
The Rangers’ 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 23 was another alarming performance in a young season full of them in which an utter lack of attention to defense and detail, a glaring lack of speed and the ability to defend against the rush, and on-ice fire and emotion were again obvious. The Blueshirts’ 12-7-1 record, which now includes a three-game losing streak after a very similar 5-2 home defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25, is only that good because of the NHL’s best goaltending tandem and a soft early schedule.
The simple fact is that these Rangers lack both physical and mental toughness, epitomizing the NHL cliche of being “easy to play against.” Other than rising youngster Will Cuylle, they don’t hit much, and when they get hit, they don’t hit back. Desire to win puck battles, get to the front of the net and sustain offensive zone pressure seems nonexistent, as does any sense of wanting to play tough defense in front of goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick – both of whom have been bombarded with shots on a regular basis.
Berard, Rempe Bring Energy, Physicality to Lineup Sorely in Need of It
Many of those necessary elements were present in last’s season run to the Presidents Trophy and Eastern Conference Final. Yet the pounding the Rangers absorbed at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers seems to still be taking a toll. The Blueshirts are a docile outfit, one that hardly puts up a fight.
Enter Berard, the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and Rempe, the known quantity who was picked in the seventh round that year from a draft that’s looking like a highly consequential one for the organization. Berard leads the Wolf Pack with 13 points in 16 games after recording 25 goals and 23 assists in the AHL last season. The 22-year-old is smallish (5-foot-9, 165 pounds), but plays with edge, hounds the puck and has a relentless motor. He looks ready to help on the NHL level – and just when the Rangers need it.
Rempe requires no introduction, yet the team’s handling of him in 2024-25 after his outsized impact last season has been head-scratching. The 6-7, 241-pound winger transformed the Rangers’ identity in his 28 combined games last season, and he appeared to have a future as a bottom-six staple that imbued the club with toughness, intimidation and attitude which went a good way toward the Blueshirts posting a 22-4-2 record between regular season and playoffs with him in the lineup.
Yet Rempe appeared to not impress the coaching staff in training camp this season and had played only three games with the Rangers, spending most of the season at Hartford and struggling with a seemingly random move to center there.
Whether the recall of Rempe amounts to an admission of a mistake is irrelevant at this point. What does matter going forward is whether coach Peter Laviolette, who has looked overwhelmed or indifferent at times in this confusing start to the season, decides he needs to find consistent spots for the two callups as he seeks a spark that isn’t coming from the holdover core. He wasted no time in inserting the two kids into a shuffled lineup against the Blues, with Berard – who recorded an assist – skating on a new second line with Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad, and Rempe sliding back into his familiar spot on right wing on the fourth line.
The overarching problem, though, is that bringing up Berard and Rempe might amount to nothing more than a taking a flier on a long-shot solution to a problem that can’t be solved by a couple of eager youngsters. Strapped by salary-cap issues and unable to shed defenseman Jacob Trouba’s unwieldy contract over the summer, general manager Chris Drury had little choice but to run it back with the same group which wasn’t good enough to emerge from the Eastern Conference last season – and it’s clear now that he didn’t want to do that.
Emphasizing the point was a recent report that Drury is looking to shake up his roster further, with Trouba and fellow veteran Chris Kreider – who’s dealing with an upper-body that kept him out of the most recent game – being possibilities to be traded. If the writing’s on the wall for this core after two conference finals appearances in three years, the organization appears to be having no trouble reading it.
Rangers’ 2020 Draft Might Lead the Way in a Lineup Transfomation
Any desire to move players such as Trouba and Kreider, though, could take a while or fail to happen at all. It’s why Laviolette isn’t hesitating to work Berard and Rempe into the lineup immediately in what might just be the first step in a necessary makeover.
These laid-back Rangers need a kick in the behind. They need to engage in some scrums in front of the net and after the whistle. They look lifeless and lacking in confidence.
It’s why Rempe probably should never have been de-emphasized and sent down, a decision that appears to have been made with little memory of his effect on the team last season. That’s water under the bridge, though. With he and Berard on the NHL roster, the Rangers’ 2020 draft has a chance to keep impacting the organization in a profound way.
Related: Rangers’ 2020 Draft Class Starting to Have Impact on Organization
That year’s first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and the 19th-overall selection Braden Schneider look like future franchise cornerstones. Cuylle, who scored both goals against St. Louis, seems to be on a path to a permament top-six role with his heavy, throwback, north-south approach. All three play jagged, hard games that stand out amidst a group of skill guys whose lack of grit has become painfully apparent in 2024-25 – though, like many of his teammates, Schneider has to rediscover his edgier side after a slow start to the season in that department.
That Drury is reportedly again looking to move Trouba after being more or less blocked by the player from doing so this summer, along with Kreider, the career Ranger who has been his usually productive self with nine goals this season, exposes just how badly the GM wanted to undertake a reshaping of his club in the offseason.
He might have just delayed it for a few months. In the meantime, Rempe and Berard should get a good look as quick adrenaline injections, shots in the arm for a team that’s drifting and lacking in emotion and most importantly, identity. The recalls aren’t overly bold moves, but they’re necessary ones at this juncture.
The Rangers as currently constructed weren’t tough enough to win the Stanley Cup last season. There’s no evidence to suggest the hard lesson they learned against the Panthers has taken – though it seems clear now that the message was received loud in clear in the front office.
Significant personnel changes may be the only way to achieve a roster that’s equipped to grind its way through the long NHL season and to a championship. Mixing Berard and Rempe in shows that the organization isn’t at all in denial about what needs to be done. Drury’s eyes are open. The step after acceptance is action. Much more of that might be coming pretty soon.
