Forward Brendan Lemieux has agreed to a one year $925,000 deal, avoiding a potential hold-out on the eve of training camp. The 23 year old Denver native, and son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, will join his first Rangers training camp after having been acquired from the Winnipeg Jets last season as part of the deal that sent Kevin Hayes to the Canadian team.
The left winger will earn about $500,000 more than the qualifying offer that he received in June, and about $117,000 more than his three year entry level contract that he completed this past season. With the signing, only defenseman Tony DeAngelo now remains wihtout a contract.
How the negotiations played out is unknown at this point, but one wonders whether the extension of an invite to former Rangers Micheal Haley might have perhaps put a little pressure on the gritty winger to come to terms ahead of training camp.
On a team that is largely built around speed and finesse, Lemieux and DeAngelo both add a bit of edge to the Rangers, and his signing will no doubt be welcomed by the team.