It was an interesting year for Brendan Lemieux. The New York Rangers’ resident agitator was playing for a new contract after joining the Rangers at the 2018-19 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Kevin Hayes to the Winnipeg Jets before the big center landed in Philadelphia. More importantly, Lemieux had an opportunity to prove he could be a depth player, or more, in New York for years to come.
Lemieux was brought to New York to provide some hard-nosed, north-south hockey and some depth scoring. The son of infamous pest Claude Lemieux, Brendan was the 31st pick of the 2014 Draft — essentially making him a late first round pick prospect.