Brendan Lemieux had his ups and downs in his first two seasons as a pro. His
rookie season was a lot more down than up, but his sophomore year was the polar
 opposite. So much so that it';s time to consider him for a permanent Winnipeg
Jets roster spot.

The son of former NHL super-pest Claude, Lemieux will likely spend his entire
career earning comparisons to his father. At least until he';s carved out
enough of an impression of his own.

He';s got big skates to fill on that front, but Lemieux the younger seems
determined to fill them. Like his father, he';s chippy, nasty, yappy, at times
scrappy, and always physical. He even has an underrated scorer';s touch like
Claude did.

Claude, however, could likely never play in the NHL today. The things he got
away with in the mid-90s would never fly in this day and age. His son can, with
 a little bit of work. In fact, he';s already primed to be a prototypical
bottom six forward.The Winnipeg Jets lack a true agitating presence up front,
but Brendan Lemieux would fix that in a hurry. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon
Sportswire)

Right now, the Winnipeg Jets have a lot of skill up front. They';ve managed to
mix some sandpaper in, but are lacking players with both attributes. Lemieux
has both in spades. If his footspeed is up to snuff, he could be just what
Winnipeg needs in their bottom six.

Lemieux has his detractors and not just those who say he';s a dirtbag like his
 dad. Those kinds of complaints Lemieux would likely laugh off. Some say his
skating and quickness aren';t NHL ready, or that his hot-headedness can get the
 best of him.

Every year, however, Lemieux seems more mature than before. At this rate,
he';ll be ready to drive NHL opponents up the wall quickly.Lemieux is Paul
Maurice';s Kind of Guy

One thing that really seems to work in Lemieux';s favor is he doesn';t need to
be a top-six player to be used in the Jets lineup. His style is just as well
suited to fourth-line work.

Some would say this is an outdated notion. Why have dedicated checking lines at
 all anymore? It';s a fair question, but in his time in Winnipeg, Paul Maurice
has shown he likes having players with defined roles. It';s one reason Nic
Petan hasn';t stuck with the Jets permanently yet.

Lemieux can play that bottom-six sandpaper role Maurice loves having available
to him. He';s physical (something no coach will ever hold against a player)
works hard in the trenches, and generally makes a nuisance of himself. If the
points aren';t there, he can still be effective.Brendan Lemieux can score but
isn';t invisible when the goals aren';t coming. (Photo: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY
Sports)

The Jets have holes in their roster that need filling from within. Paul Stastny
 isn';t the only player who moved on this offseason. You can add Joel Armia,
Shawn Matthias, and Matt Hendricks to that list too. Combined they played 166
games last year.

Most if not all of those minutes were bottom-six. Sure, the Jets have other
options to replace those players. Kristian Vesalainen leaps to mind. Marko Dano
 deserves more ice time than he';s gotten. But Lemieux has an opening.

Lemieux isn';t all shoulders and fists, either. His offensive totals, from his
junior days through his most recent AHL campaign, speak to a player more ready
for an offensive role than you might think. He might even be a useful secondary
 power play guy.Lemieux Brings the Offense

Last year, Lemieux saw action in nine NHL games. He scored his first NHL goal
exactly how you';d expect with a redirection against Pittsburgh. He scored no
other points, but it';s worth noting his possession metrics were well above
average.

What a moment:

Brendan Lemieux scores his first NHL goal 👏 pic.twitter.com/JbJkRh2nMp

- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 30, 2017

Now it';s true this is the definition of small sample size. Nine games hardly
paints a bigger picture, and one goal in a 7-1 win does not an offensive dynamo
 make. Go back in Lemieux';s past, however, and you';ll find offense has
always been part of his game.

Lemieux';s first AHL campaign, a down year by his standards, still saw him pot
12 goals. This last year, he upped that total to 19 and threw in 24 assists for
 43 points in 51 games. Not too shabby for a guy who also pitched in 170 PIMs.

Lemieux was a 40-goal scorer just one year after his draft year. The year after
 that, he put up 32 goals in just 45 games split between Barrie and Windsor of
the OHL. Between his net-front presence and a highly underrated shot, Lemieux
is no stranger to scoring.

These attributes on their own make Lemieux worthy of consideration for a roster
 spot in September. Add them on to his agitating, physical game and you';ve got
 a budding power forward on your hands.

We';re talking about Lemieux for a fourth line spot right now with room to move
 him up to the third. At this rate, he might not stop there. The tools are
almost all there.

There are no guarantees with young players and Lemieux, at just 22 years old,
is still young. His skating is still a question mark, and even if he gets his
speed up his quickness will need work. Training camp will be very telling.

But you can bet with the losses the Jets sustained this offseason, Lemieux will
 be on their radar all camp long. He';s being given an opportunity, and it
would be unwise to bet against him.

The post Brendan Lemieux: A Perfect Jets'; 4th Liner appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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