Rangers' Rempe: 'I'm a marked man' after latest suspension

New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe knows he has to avoid another dangerous hit as he prepares to return from an eight-game suspension.

"If (a hit is) anyway in doubt, I feel like I err on the side of caution right now," Rempe told The Athletic's Peter Baugh on Wednesday. "I'm a marked man right now. I've gotta keep it clean.

He added: "I've got to still play my game, but it can't happen again, or it's going to be a huge suspension. I've got to be a lot smarter. I don't have to make every hit, if that makes sense."

Rempe is eligible to return Thursday against the New Jersey Devils but is projected to be a healthy scratch based on line rushes at Wednesday's practice, according to Baugh.

The NHL suspended Rempe in December for elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen. The ban was the second of his 22-game NHL career and the fourth time he's been ejected from a contest.

Rempe, listed at 6-foot-8, has zero points and 24 penalty minutes in five NHL games this season. The 22-year-old has three goals, five points, and 22 penalty minutes in 18 AHL contests.

"I'm so big, I can get going," Rempe said. "I've got to be able to pick my hits. I've got to make sure it's going to be a good hit because I can make a big impact with that. If I'm going to make every hit, some of them are risky. Guys are trying to duck out of the way at the last second, and I'm so big that if I catch a piece or something like that, I'm gone 20 games. I can't let anything like that happen. I've got to be a bit more controlled."

Rempe said he spoke with Department of Player Safety head George Parros in the summer about what hits are legal.

"I want to be the most physical guy there is," Rempe said. "But if I'm on the ice, I can't do (what I did in Dallas)."