Adding some more grit: Hurricanes sign Brendan Lemieux to one-year contract
In their first signing since the start of free agency, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they’ve signed Brendan Lemieux to a one-year contract worth $800,000 on Tuesday.
Lemieux, known more for his physicality than his scoring ability, will bulk up the Hurricanes’ on-ice grit. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound forward plays with an old school, rough-and-tumble attitude on the ice, and can be a jump-starter for Carolina during some less-than-stellar moments.
He’s also known for racking up penalty minutes, 484 in his career thus far, with 31 career fighting majors.
Lemieux has earned 69 points in his 275 career games in the NHL, including 33 goals and 36 assists. He has never had an NHL season with less than 100 hits, with his career-high 164 during the 2019-20 season.
“Brendan is a hard-nosed forward who will add some sandpaper to our lineup,” Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “We’re excited to add his physical presence to our team.”
The left winger spent the 2022-23 season with the Philadelphia Flyers, only playing in 18 games. He has previously spent time in Winnipeg before being sent to the Rangers for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. Lemieux then signed a deal with the Kings, before his short stint with the Flyers. He was drafted by Buffalo as the No. 31 overall pick in 2014.
Lemieux can fit into the Hurricanes’ bottom six forwards without much trouble. His forechecking also should fit well with the team’s consistency in that area, as long as Lemieux plays clean hockey.
Lemieux joins defenseman Dmitri Orlov and forward Michael Bunting of the players the Hurricanes have signed since the start of free agency July 1.
Goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, and forward Jesper Fast all re-signed with Carolina as unrestricted free agents. His signing leaves the Hurricanes with $2.5 million in cap space.
This story was originally published July 11, 2023 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Adding some more grit: Hurricanes sign Brendan Lemieux to one-year contract."