New York Rangers Report Card: Brendan Lemieux
Brendan Lemieux was a trade deadline pickup by the New York Rangers, coming over from Winnipeg. Although he was a Ranger for less than two months, he made an instant impact on the starting lineup.
Brendan Lemieux: B
As we continue our report cards, we get to Brendan Lemieux, the midseason acquisition by the Rangers. He only played in 19 games for the Rangers, but the Blueshirts’ brass got a good look at the type of player they traded for.
His Season
Brendan Lemieux started his rookie season with the Winnipeg Jets after spending most of the 2017-18 with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. He made the big club right out of training camp. playing 44 games, primarily on the fourth line.
He started the season scoring at a rapid pace, at one point having 23% shooting. He cooled down though as his season progressed, and he finished his 2018-2019 stint north of the border with nine goals and two assists while averaging just over seven minutes a game. His more notable stat is his 64 penalty minutes in just 44 games. He was traded to the New York Rangers as an integral piece of the Kevin Hayes trade.
He immediately stepped into the Rangers’ lineup, joining the bottom six. He gelled quickly, finding a fast chemistry with former first round pick Lias Andersson.
His conditioning was an issue as he was averaging over 11 minutes per game and even saw some time on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and he finished with three goasl and three assists in 19 games.
Most important, Lemieux brought a new energy to the lineup and as a RFA this summer, he will likely receive a new contract from the Rangers.
Why the Grade?
I liked how Lemieux stepped in and immediately made an impact on these Rangers. He stepped into the bottom six and changed the energy of the team. His mix of speed, skill, and physicality make him one of those types of players that you love to have on your team, but hate to play against.
One of the most striking things about Lemieux’s game is his ability with the puck on and off his stick.
(video via NHL.com)
Here we see an example of Lemieux’s ability. He beats the Edmonton netminder with a quick shot, but there’s more to the play. He skates through the neutral zone with speed, jumping back into the play; then instead of making a move around the net or to the goal mouth, he opens his body, allowing Shattenkirk to make the accurate backhand pass; and finally, he uses the Edmonton defender as a partial screen. While these moments may be few and far in between, plays like this give a good idea of what Lemieux brings to the table other than just peskiness.
By the Numbers (Season Totals):
Games Played: 63 (19 w. NYR)Goals: 12 (3 w. NYR)
Assists: 5 (3 w. NYR)
Points: 17 (6 w. NYR)
PIM: 108 (44 w. NYR)
Plus/Minus: +6 (-4 w. NYR)
Corsi For %: 45.1% (43.8% w. NYR)
Hits: 129 (48 w. NYR )
Hits per game: 2.5 w. NYR, third highest on team
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Next report card: Vinni Lettieri