On Saturday, the New York Rangers sent forward Matt Rempe back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He will be in the Wolf Pack lineup later today when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

For Rempe, this is the best thing for his development. It never made sense for the Rangers organization to shuffle him back and forth, like they did after last weekend. He played in two games for the Pack before coming back up to get into this past Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals. All so Rempe could lose a fight to Dylan McIlrath and receive eight shifts for just 5:01 of ice time.

Still just 22, Rempe needs to play consistent minutes to become a better player. He can do that in the American Hockey League (AHL). After surprising many with his energy rubbing off on teammates last season, the 2020 sixth round pick wasn’t trusted by Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. It showed in how Rempe was used towards the conclusion of last postseason.

When Adam Edstrom proved that he deserved a starting roster spot with a strong training camp, that meant Rempe became a part-timer on the Blueshirts. Due to Jonny Brodzinski, whose better skating and versatility made him a better fit for the fourth line, Rempe didn’t see much action. Instead, he was used sparingly in three games by Laviolette. The most ice time he received was against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 19. Rempe took 11 shifts and played 7:37 in a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

With Jimmy Vesey be activated off long-term injured reserve (LTIR), Rempe was reassigned to Hartford. Vesey is set to make his season debut for the Rangers tomorrow when they take on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden at 1 EST. A start time that doesn’t make much sense considering that Sunday, Nov. 3 is the day of the New York City Marathon. MSG doesn’t seem to care about the inconvenience. Neither does the NHL, with the first of four rivalry games going head-to-head with the NFL.

Laviolette Shakes Things Up

At Saturday’s morning practice, Laviolette decided to shake things up. Dissatisfied with his team’s play in the last two games, he changed his lines. Most notably, he broke up the top line to accommodate Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad should get a bump by playing alongside leading scorer Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. If that doesn’t work, then nothing will. Zibanejad remains without a five-on-five goal in the Rangers’ first 10 games. Laviolette wants to get him going.

Instead of playing with his normal linemates, Vincent Trocheck will work with Will Cuylle and Reilly Smith. They should be a straight-forward forechecking line who are defensively responsible. An area the Rangers have lacked so far.

Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko will be joined by Chris Kreider on the third line. Despite Zibanejad’s struggles, Kreider ranks second on the team in goals (6). Three have come at even strength, two on the power play, and one shorthanded. He doesn’t have an assist yet. Splitting up Kreider and Zibanejad makes sense. Kreider is capable of scoring on a different line. Adding them to the explosive Chytil and more confident Kakko should work. They already were having success with Cuylle as a reliable line that produced.

Vesey will play with Sam Carrick and Edstrom on the checking line. An ideal fit for the diligent checking forward, who will return to the penalty kill. Brodzinski comes out of the lineup. He’s proven that he’s capable of being a regular. It’ll be up to Laviolette when he wants to sub Brodzinski back in.

Jones Returns to Blue Line

After sitting out two straight games, Zac Jones returns to the blue line for tomorrow’s matinee. It’ll be his sixth appearance. He hasn’t played as much as rookie Victor Mancini. Laviolette seems to prefer Mancini’s size and skillset. In the first nine games of his NHL career, he has a goal and three assists with a +3 rating while averaging 15:21 of ice time.

Jones might be the Rangers’ best skating defenseman. He is very good at transitioning the puck. The 24-year-old is still scratching the surface as a player. He works well with Braden Schneider. With Mancini and Schneider having a tough time on Friday night, it makes sense to go back and see what Jones can bring. While he isn’t known for his defense, his speed can be a real asset. Jones has good offensive instincts. His only flaw is that he’s five-foot eleven, 185-pounds. Mancini is listed at six-foot three, 215 pounds.

Given that he was a 2019 third round pick, Jones deserves more of an opportunity to show what he can do. The only way for the Rangers to find out is by playing him.

The top two defensive pairs remain the same. K’Andre Miller is with Adam Fox. Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba are the shutdown pair. How long that’ll remain depends on what happens over the next stretch.

Light Week Ahead

Following the Islanders’ visit on Sunday, the Rangers will play host to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, Nov. 7. They then will visit the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Nov. 9 for the final regular season meeting. They took the first two meetings.