Brendan Lemieux #48 of the Rangers and Craig Smith #15 of the Nashville Predators battle for the puck along the boards during the first period at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. Credit: Jim McIsaac
When he put the 23-year-old Brendan Lemieux on a line with 20-year-old Filip Chytil and 18-year-old Kaapo Kakko, Rangers coach David Quinn was asked who the veteran on that line was supposed to be. It was Lemieux, of course, only because the other two guys were so young.
Being the senior guy on the third line is something Lemieux takes to heart, which is why he was so broken up Saturday about how poorly things had gone for him and his linemates in Friday’s 6-3 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.