The trade deadline deal that brought Brendan Lemieux to the New York Rangers presents the player with a real opportunity to endear himself to The Garden Faithful.
Let’s get one thing clear. No one who bleeds blue could ever be a fan of Claude Lemieux. But fate is fickle as they say. Now the son of the once despised New Jersey Devil has a chance to erase the sins of the father and become a New York Rangers fan favorite.
Brendan Lemieux came to the Rangers in a deadline deal that sent Kevin Hayes to the Winnipeg Jets. But he was not the only piece of that deal. The real haul for the Rangers was the Jets number one pick in the 2019 draft and a conditional fourth round pick in 2022. At first glance, you could almost consider Lemieux to be just a throw in.
Lemieux was getting very little ice time on a stacked team in the Western Conference. He played a total of 53 games with the Jets, averaging just over seven minutes per game while scoring 10 goals and 2 assists. He did however, manage to rack up 85 penalty minutes in those 53 games, which is a pretty clear indication that he likes to get involved.
It’s also a pretty clear indication that he may be the type of player David Quinn likes to have on his bench. A player with grit and an edge to his game. So perhaps there was more to him being included in the trade than what is clearly apparent. Regardless he came to the Rangers with very little pressure on him to be a difference maker on the score sheet.
But this is New York, where difference makers come in all shapes, sizes and variations. One form of difference maker that Rangers fan are particularly fond of is the “Character Guy”. There is a long history of Rangers fans admiring the hard-working player who sticks up for his teammates and demands accountability from opposing players.
This is the energy guy, the spark plug, the player who decides it’s time to change the tide of a game when it is going the wrong way. He can be an irritant and draw a penalty. He can throw a big hit to get the crowd engaged. He will drop the gloves. Whatever it takes.