The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that the Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux has been suspended two games. This is his first suspension in the NHL.
Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux has been suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head on Florida’s Vincent Trocheck. https://t.co/tQt7AWcmLH
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 5, 2018
Lemieux Suspended
Lemieux is being suspended for two games for an incident with Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck. During the second period of the Jets Global Series game, Lemieux elbowed Trocheck in the head while skating through the neutral zone. This resulted in a match penalty for the 22-year-old to go along with the five-minute major he took for fighting. So far this season, Lemieux has yet to record a point in nine games, while picking up 27 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers are 41.41 percent Corsi-for and a relative Corsi of -10.23.
Over his two-year NHL career with the Jets, he has put up just one goal and one point in 18 career games.
Originally drafted as the first pick in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Lemieux was traded to the Winnipeg Jets as part of a blockbuster deal that saw himself, Tyler Myers, Joel Armia, Drew Stafford, and a 2015 conditional first round pick (Jack Roslovic) go to Winnipeg in exchange for Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and the rights to goalie Jason Kasdorf.
#NHLJets coach Maurice on the Lemieux hit? “Refs got it right.” Q: Was it a turning point? Maurice “Yup.”
— Rick Ralph (@RickRalphTSN) November 2, 2018
What This Means for the Future
Lemieux has been up with the Jets to start the year after Marko Dano was put on waivers and Nic Petan was away on bereavement leave. He got his chance to get into the lineup when Kristian Vesalainen was assigned to the Manitoba Moose after an uninspiring start from the young Finnish winger. With Lemieux suspended, this opens the door for Petan to come into the lineup for the first time this year. Since returning from Finland, Petan has assumed Lemieux’s spot on the fourth-line-left-wing, with Andrew Copp and Roslovic. As a result, don’t expect Lemieux to get back into the lineup right away once the suspension is over. Coach Maurice might have to send a message to the hotheaded winger that these types of hits are unacceptable.
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