Edstrom is at least almost as fast as Rempe but he's also a smoother and more balanced skater. Edstrom had been playing 3rd/4th line roles and penalty killing in the SHL for a few years already before the Rangers signed him. I think if he makes the team he might be a good pk option. That kind of thing is already part of his wheelhouse. Rempe's not ready for that.
It's funny, but I think people are overrating Rempe's defensive game, while underestimating his offensive game. He's a bit of an oddball for a 4th liner, really. Edstrom is by far the more well rounded skater and defensive player and I don't think it's particularly close. He is far closer to what teams need from a 4th liner.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Rempe, who, in his very limited minutes, was really effective in the offensive zone. Not only because his reach and speed made D move the puck faster than they wanted to. But also for being an absolute load to deal with in front of the net. He's very very hard to move once he gets in front and it creates massive headaches for opponents. Almost every point shot is super dangerous with Rempe on the ice and standing in front. It's like stopping the puck with a gorilla on your back. To the point where, I would love to see him get some chances on PP2, just standing in front of the goalie.
Separately, Rempe's hands and offensive instincts have been somewhat surprising. I would need to go back and look, but in his limited minutes, he seemed to create more high danger chances than most fourth liners and maybe more than most of our forwards at 5v5 per TOI. This is not to discount all the things he needs to fix - from agility to balance to defensive positioning and on and on. The list is quite long.
But for me, the biggest eye opener, was how excited I got when Rempe entered the offensive zone. He's a wrecking ball who can actually handle the puck when it ends up on his stick. As a result, the puck often finds him in interesting places.
Obviously, he must improve his agility and his balance. Even if it means slowing down a bit to be under more control. But his greatest upside is actually 3rd liner and PP2. His offensive ceiling to me is a bit higher than the Colton Orrs or Edstroms of the world. I see a bigger version of Stephane Matteau but who can drop the mitts. Instead of getting 30-35 points a season like Matteau, I could see Rempe get between 20-25. Plus Rempe has to find ways to stay on the ice )(and continue to grow his game/skating in all ways).
I don't know that Rempe's future is going to be on the PK. I don't quite see that right now. I worry that a guy with his size and skinny leg only creates more issues for our goalie on the PK, then helps. Again, his whole career in my mind comes down to seeing how much he can improve his agility and balance. Also his hockey IQ will need to evolve into making smarter choices, but I think some of that is related to his skating issues putting him in less than ideal on-ice situations.
But unlike so many of our players who supposedly have size, there are no issues with Rempe going to the hard areas. No issues getting to the net and planting himself there. To me, his work below the goal line and netfront, mixed with decent hands, makes him very intriguing piece. But there's just so much work to be done to get there.
But to be honest, I think the narrative of last season has created a false sense of what his game is. I think people are trying to plug him into the 4th line wing box and while I think that's where he'll be for a while, I think his strengths are a bit different than that.
If you want my craziest idea -- and keep in mind, I wrote craziest....but...
If Mika and Kreider stay together, I want to see what Rempe might look up there with them. I do not think he has the skillset nor the skating to hang. But on the other hand, he IS the menace that line could use to create turnovers and pressure 5v5. He could dig pucks out. And it might actually allow Kreider and Zib to do their freelancing in the zone. Rempe just goes to the net and causes havoc while everyone else buzzes around the zone. It's a thought anyway.
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