Islanders’ MacLean & Rangers’ Rempe: Embracing 4th-Line Roles

He hasn’t slowed down since then, as he’s done a fight tour across the league, going up against other notable veterans, including Ryan Reeves, Kurtis MacDermid, and Mathieu Olivier. Rempe’s been front and center as the young forward to watch, while MacLean has been one of the unsung heroes. Both skaters will be a part of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry for years to come, and they are paving the way for a new era of fourth-line hockey. 

Rempe’s Presence Beyond Fighting

Rempe has battled the best fighters in the game, and everyone is watching. It’s also obscured some of his baseline stats, as he’s played in 15 games but averages only 5:36 ice time and has 69 penalty minutes. That said, he’s the type of skater the Rangers need in their forward unit, and he has been valuable when he’s on the ice.

Rempe has 44 hits and is the defensive forward who forces opponents to avoid him. At 6-foot-7 and 241 pounds, he moves like a freight train at full speed, and his ability to make the opposition uncomfortable allows the Rangers to create turnovers and control the puck. It took two seasons for Rempe to mature into a forechecker in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and while the fights were commonplace there as well, it’s not what prompted the NHL team to call him up and keep him on the roster.

The Rangers have plenty of offense and are one of the more well-rounded teams in the NHL. They are preparing for a deep playoff run, so they can’t have Rempe taking too many penalties. He can set the tone for a series with a fight or two, but keeping the team shorthanded or worse, being suspended, which has already happened in his young career, could cost them a series. The Rangers need him as a hard-hitting and physical presence who balances out the speed and skill of the top six. They lack that presence on their fourth line, and Rempe singlehandedly provides them with it.

MacLean as a Two-Way Fourth Line Player

MacLean’s call-up will always be intertwined with changing the Islanders’ identity. His first game was the Jan. 19 contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, which they lost 4-3 in overtime, and subsequently fired head coach Lane Lambert and replaced him with Patrick Roy. His first few games in the NHL went unnoticed because of the coaching change, but since then, he’s gone from a pleasant surprise to a key contributor in the forward unit.

In 27 games, he’s scored three goals and four assists while notably stepping up on the defensive end of the ice. MacLean has centered the fourth line, and his backcheck and skating have allowed him to close down on skaters and create turnovers. He wasn’t the prospect that fans anticipated would join the team, but he’s been the type of player the team has needed on the fourth line. He impacts the game in multiple ways and provides a burst of energy that the veterans lack.

Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin are on their way out. Both will become free agents at the end of the season and are in the twilight of their careers. Despite Clutterbuck putting together a career-best season , he’s 36, and it’s hard to see him being a part of the team’s long-term plans (although if there’s any general manager who would re-sign an aging skater, it’s Lou Lamoriello). MacLean is setting the tone for what the fourth line will look like in the future. The Islanders have always had an edge with their depth skaters, and the 24-year-old is expected to carry that legacy with more speed and skill.

NHL’s New Fourth Line

In a league where enforcers are a rare breed as teams value them less and development leagues fail to produce them, having one who can provide more than fights goes a long way. Matthew Tkachuk can battle with anyone but also has the skill to carry the Florida Panthers, and he did in the 2023 Playoffs, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final. The Rangers finally found their enforcer in Rempe, and he will give the team an edge for the foreseeable future.

It’s almost three years to the day since the Rangers faced the Washington Capitals, and Tom Wilson had his way with the undersized skaters, hitting everyone and everything in sight. Since then, the team has made it a priority to prevent that from happening again. They found their version of Wilson and hope the 21-year-old Rempe can develop his offense to become a star.

The Islanders, meanwhile, are building their fourth line differently. They are doing it with versatility, and MacLean is the start of that process. He is one of the many forecheckers in the Islanders’ pipeline, and he can contribute in multiple ways – from playing both center and wing positions to stepping up on offense and defense. The team lacks flexibility in their bottom six, and it’s set them back, notably in the First Round last season when they faced the Carolina Hurricanes and lost the series in six games. If the stars align, they might face a rematch with the Hurricanes, and having MacLean in the lineup will go a long way in closing the gap between the two teams.

The Islanders are still flawed and have a lot of questions as the season comes to a close. One thing they won’t have to worry about is the future of their fourth line, as MacLean is leaving it in good hands. For the first time in a long time, the team can win in multiple ways. Roy deserves a lot of credit, but so does the new-look lineup, and MacLean has been at the forefront of that change.