The New York Rangers are on a roll to begin the 2024-25 NHL season, having won four of their first five games while picking up points in every game at the same time.

And ahead of Saturday night's Original Six clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they've made a lineup change that sees some serious toughness added to the roster. Towering forward Matt Rempe will be in the lineup, playing his second game of the year.

According to head coach Peter Laviolette, his physical edge may be his biggest strength – but he can do much more, via the Toronto Sun.

“Matt brings more to the table,” Laviolette explained after New York's morning skate on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. “He can hit, he goes to the net hard, he’s a big body. Yeah, he can fight if he wants to or has to, but there is more to his game. 

“As a young player, we’re just trying to make sure we’re handling him the right way, whether it be practice or games and he gets that opportunity to play at a higher level. He’s a good young prospect.” 

Laviolette was also sure to mention that the “heavyweight”-style player role has changed over the years, especially compared to when he first began coaching.

“The (heavyweight) role has definitely changed,” he said. “You can go way back to when I came in (coaching) in 2000, a completely different set of rules. There’s definitely has to be more to it than fighting nowadays, you have to be ready to play the game. He’s had a good summer, he’s worked on his skating and skills and is trying to make an impact every game to earn a regular spot.”

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The Rangers and Leafs are scheduled for puck drop just after 7:00 PM EST.

Rangers forward Matt Rempe is in his second NHL season 

New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) speaks with a linesman during the second period against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The 22-year-old Rempe towers over his other Rangers teammates, standing at 6'8 and 240 pounds. He was selected with the 165th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by New York and made his debut last season.

He appeared in 17 games, picking up a goal and an assist along with 71 PIM; he also scored one goal in 11 postseason games.