Canes Add Grit With Signing of Lemieux

It appears that Don Waddell does not sleep nor take breaks. The already busy Carolina Hurricanes made another free agent signing in forward, Brendan Lemieux to a one-year, $800,000 contract.

The 27-year-old has made a name for himself in this league as a physical player and a bit of an agitator.

Son of NHL great, Claude Lemieux, Brendan has been around the game his whole life and has learned the grit his father had when he played.

The Colorado native was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Draft. Taken in the second round, Lemieux’s heavy body showed signs of becoming a scorer, like his father.

Lemieux really came onto the scene with the New York Rangers in 2019 where he played a career-high 59 games. Also setting career highs, the former Ranger had 111 penalty minutes and 18 points.

Moving on to the Los Angeles Kings, Lemieux scored a career-high 8 goals in 2021 along with his 97 penalty minutes.

Last season in Philadelphia, he played just 18 games but his presence was felt by the opposition.

The Canes lacked toughness and physicality last year which wore them down in the opening round against the New York Islanders. This will go a long way to have an experienced player with some sandpaper on the cheap.

Another strong addition to the group, Lemieux can add some versatility and fight for a starting spot.