SBNation blogger John Fischer wrote a pretty good post at InLouWeTrust on Brendan Lemieux, and why he could be a fit for the Devils.
He praised his ability to elevate his game playing with top players, his increase in production and determination to be more disciplined, as he told me in an interview before the playoffs, but questioned his defensive ability, and just how much offense he can bring.
Having seen Lemieux 50+ times over the last couple seasons and being someone who covers the OHL, I figured I'd chime in with some thoughts.
First off: Lemieux can play. He's not a goon/pest who can't do anything with the puck on his stick, and he's not a guy who milks points from quality linemates. Trust me when I say he more than held his own on the top line in Barrie.
Lemieux's skating has really improved over the last year or so, and he gets up and down the ice quite fluently. He has an excellent shot, usually makes good decisions with the puck, and is a force around the net. He can cycle the puck well, he's hard to move in front of the net, and he has excellent hands. Lemieux scored quite a few goals this year on the net mouth, either banging in rebounds or deflecting point shots on the power play. As I mentioned, his shot is pretty impressive and if he finds space in the slot it's a pretty good bet the puck is going in.
Lemieux models his game after his dad, but people shouldn't look at that as a guy who'll take a lot of penalties, but rather a guy who gets in everyone's face and can actually play the game as well.
He does take his share of penalties, but his discipline continued to improve down the stretch, and he drew quite a few calls as well.
Basically the point I'm trying to get across here is that he's not just a name and if he's selected late in the 1st round or early in the 2nd - the Devils are options at 30 and potentially 41 - it's because he can play and not the bloodlines. He earned whatever he gets.
Personally, I think he'd be a good fit for the Devils, and think he's a pretty sure bet to be an NHL regular in a couple years.
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