Getty Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers
The stage is so bright and the tension so high, that the Ottawa Senators deemed it convenient to make an official announcement.
The franchise announced on April 15, just a few hours ahead of their matchup against the league-best New York Rangers, that the Senators have recalled Zack Ostapchuk for the contest in Manhattan.
TRANSACTION: The @Senators have recalled forward Zack Ostapchuk from the #BellevilleSens
This move would have sound any alarms in any (every, perhaps) other context, but it is worth covering considering why this transaction, happening precisely today, has a certain meaning to it.
The Sens recalled Zack Ostapchuk ahead of their game against the Rangers on Monday.
He and Matt Rempe went at it a few years back in the WHL 👀
The two gentlemen in the tweet above are Ostapchuk and Rangers’ rookie forward Matt Rempe, although the latter has done more than enough to be considered a legitimately veteran enforcer just a few days into his career.
Whether the Senators are sending a message, or actually plan to stage a fight between Ostapchuk and Rempe, we will never know. The franchise will never publically confirm it, but the fact remains there is a past between these two and Rempe is more known for his fights than his game these days.
Senators Recall Prospect Trying to Send Rangers a Message
Ostapchuk is coming from the American Hockey League’s affiliate of the Senators, the Belleville Senators, and he will be on Monday’s Ottawa lineup to face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The young Senators center is just 20 years old and he made his debut earlier this season after getting drafted by Ottawa with the No. 39 pick of the 2021 NHL draft. He has appeared in just six NHL games to date logging a combined 62:27 of ice time.
A few years back, when he was still playing in the WHL, Ostapchuk met Rempe on the ice and the two collided in a fight that ended in a knockout win for the current Senator.
It’s fair to say things have changed quite a bit since then, as Rempe has established himself in the Rangers lineup appearing in 16 games entering play on Monday getting 89:50 TOI but racking up penalties to the tune of 69 penalties in minutes.
Rempe has also entered individual fights more than five times and he was the main instigator of the infamous brawl against the Devils earlier this season that ended with eight players ejected in the first two seconds of that matchup.
Rempe vs. Ostapchuk: Tale of the Tape & Future Outlook
Ostapchuk has not had a very flashy career in terms of production but the 6-3, 205-pound center can surely put on a fight, whether that’s figuratively or literally.
Senators head coach Jacques Martin had some nice words to say about this pupil following his debut last March.
“I was impressed how he played, how he was composed,” Martin told reporters after the March 12 game. “What I like is his strength. He’s got good size. He uses his body to protect the puck. He wins battles.”
Rempe edges his counterpart in size as a 6-7 tower weighing in at 241 pounds, in NHL experience, and in fighting chops at least when it comes to NHL bouts.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette discussed Rempe’s chances at cracking the postseason roster on Monday’s pregame press conference, making it clear that the enforcer is going to be a presence on the ice come playoffs time.
“[Rempe’s] game last game was excellent,” Laviolette said. “I know it’s limited ice, and I know his role and responsibility, but they were a positive line.
“I do think that he’s played in games that are big, and they’re in a big moment. The outdoor game was one. When you’re coming down the stretch and you’re playing the top teams in the league, or you’re playing teams that are have to have those two points – they have to go their way–they make the game competitive.
“And, so, to answer your question, I do think he’s ready for playoff games.”
Monday marks the final test for Rempe and the Rangers before the franchise embarks on the playoffs. New York hosts the Senators for the season finale in a contest that, if they win, will clinch the No. 1 seed and hand the Rangers the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since they last won it in 2015.