The Carolina Hurricanes announced that they have signed forward Brendan Lemieux to a one-year, $800,000 contract.
Lemieux was most recently on the Philadelphia Flyers, after he was dumped at the trade deadline by the LA Kings.
A physical fourth-liner, Lemieux has had three seasons of at least 97 penalty minutes all while never having played a full season.
His career high in points was 18 coming in the 2019-20 season with the New York Rangers and he's had just four seasons with double-digit points.
The Canes commented at the end of last season that they wanted to get heavier and more physical and Lemieux definitely brings that element with five seasons of 100+ hits and 31 total fighting majors.
The question will be whether or not this physical element will be a positive or a hinderance as Lemieux has already been suspended three times in his career. Twice for two games for hits to the head (2018 - Vincent Trocheck, 2020 - Joonas Donskoi) and once for five games for biting a player (2021 - Brady Tkachuk).
He has also been fined before for elbowing.
Here's the official press release from the team:
-‘CANES SIGN LEMIEUX TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT
Forward has recorded 69 points in 275 career NHL games
RALEIGH, N.C. – Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Brendan Lemieux to a one-year, $800,000 contract.
"Brendan is a hard-nosed forward who will add some sandpaper to our lineup," said Waddell. “We’re excited to add his physical presence to our team.”
Lemieux, 27, has posted 69 points (33g, 36a) in 275 career NHL games with Winnipeg, NY Rangers, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The 6’1”, 215-pound forward tallied nine points (2g, 7a) in 45 games with the Kings and Flyers in 2022-23. Lemieux has registered at least 100 hits in each of his five full NHL seasons, posting a career-high 164 hits in 59 games with the Rangers in 2019-20. He has earned 31 fighting majors in his NHL career, including a career-high eight fights in 2021-22 with the Kings. Lemieux is the son of four-time Stanley Cup Champion Claude Lemieux and the nephew of former Hartford Whalers forward Jocelyn Lemieux. The Denver, Colo., native was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2014 NHL Draft.