Hurricanes Getting the Grit They Need With Lemieux Signing

Waddell was on a mission this summer. Orlov, Bunting, and Lemieux have one thing in common. All three bring grit and toughness to the team, which was missing from their Conference final series against the Florida Panthers when the Panthers bullied their way to the Stanley Cup Final. In a copycat league, the Hurricanes are taking a page from Florida’s book and stockpiling their roster, and their style of play will mesh well with the rest of the group and the team’s system.

Everyone knows what Orlov and Bunting can do. One is a top-four defenseman, and the other is a top-six winger. However, Lemieux is an under-the-radar signing who will provide a boost to the fourth line.

What Lemieux Brings to Carolina

Aside from his team-friendly contract, Lemieux will complement the lineup. While the first three lines are intact, the fourth line needs an upgrade, and this is where Lemieux will slot in. While he is not known for his offensive production – his career-high is 12 goals and 18 points – this could be an opportunity for him to regain his scoring touch under head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s system. But it is the other elements of his game that will impact the team more.

Lemieux will earn most of his ice time at 5v5. His biggest upside is his defensive play, which fits well with a defense-first system. Lemieux’s game is similar to his father’s, Claude Lemieux, who had a stellar twenty-one-year career with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and San Jose Sharks, playing the game hard and making life tough for his opponents. Like his father, Brendan Lemieux (6 feet, 215 pounds) forechecks hard and finishes his checks. His 131 hits would have ranked fourth on the Hurricanes and placed him fifth on the Philadelphia Flyers last season. However, the Hurricanes had the third-fewest hits in the league, so adding a physical player who can help provide energy and a spark is exactly what the team needs. 

Lemieux’s Areas of Improvement

For the last few seasons, Lemieux has played a fourth-line role with the Los Angeles Kings and Flyers.

Based on the chart above, his defensive metrics are not the best, although the Flyers were not a good team and constantly chasing the game. While being physical and willing to drop the gloves is great, Lemieux needs to improve one area in particular: he takes penalties. Carolina took the 11th fewest penalties last season, while Lemieux finished with 74 penalty minutes and 93 the season before. Even though the Hurricanes had the second-best penalty-killing unit (84.4 percent success rate) in the league, staying disciplined will be key for him to succeed.

Brind’Amour preaches working hard and competing hard, and Lemieux brings that competitive edge and hard work. But he will need to keep things clean to avoid putting the team in a bad situation. 

Verdict on Lemieux

The Hurricanes are destined to hoist the Stanley Cup. It is not a matter of if but when. As the core has grown together and established itself as an elite contender, they now have reinforcements with complementary pieces. 

They are a hard-working, defensively structured team that is good at possessing the puck. With an element of physicality added to the lineup with Lemieux, this juggernaut team just got much tougher to play against.