Rangers Matt Rempe Dealt Four-Game Suspension Pressing Pause On Wild Rookie Campaign

Well, we all knew this was coming… 

New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe has impressed with his physical play and willingness to drop the gloves. The 6-foot-8, 21-year-old has four fights against some serious heavyweights in just 10 NHL games.

However, that was going to catch up to him eventually and it looked like that would be the case after he elbowed New Jersey Devil Jonas Siegenthaler on Monday night.

On Tuesday evening the NHL's Department of Player Safety made it official: Rempe has been suspended for four games.

We talked about it before the suspension was announced, but the Department of Player Safety can be a little unpredictable.

I think we all knew a suspension was coming, but sometimes it seems like the punishments are handed out based on what side of the bed Head of the DPoS George Parros woke up on. 

That's just not to say I disagree with the decision. I was thinking two or three games. However, I thought that might even be high given Rempe isn't a repeat offender. 

However, Montreal's Brendan Gallagher wasn't a repeat offender with over a decade of NHL experience under his belt (which blew my mind), and he was dealt a five-game suspension for this nasty elbow back in January.

So, four Rempe based on that is probably fair.

He didn't get all of Siegenthaler (which is a good thing) but it sure looked like the intent to stick the elbow out was there.

Still, Rempe is getting one game less than Gallagher got. 

It makes you wonder if this is the NHL's way of telling him to slow his roll a little bit. He laid another questionable hit last month against the Devils and skirted a suspension, but this time that elbow was too much to ignore.

It's a pretty hefty punishment that will also cost him a good chunk of change.