Sabres select Brendan Lemieux: Claude says Devils 'made a mistake'

Claude Lemieux was disappointed in his former team the New Jersey Devils after they passed over his son Brendan in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft on Friday.

Claude, who won two Stanley Cups with the Devils during his storied career, aired his feelings after Brendan was selected by the Buffalo Sabres at the start of the second round.

"You’ve got to respect their view and their choice," Claude said of the Devils. "I think they made a mistake, but it’s good for Buffalo and time will tell."

Claude added Brendan was "crushed" after sitting through the first round without hearing his name. According to Claude, pre-draft interviews at the scouting combine give many eligible players false hope, but he feels his son will use the lack of first-round pressure as motivation.

"Sometimes that can be a blessing. When you’re a first-round pick, sometimes it’s too much," Claude said. "He’s the kind of kid that puts a lot of pressure on himself. He’s very proud. Maybe a first-round pick would’ve put too much pressure on him. You’ve got to look at it that way."

Claude was selected in the second round of the 1983 draft but played more regular-season games than any other player in the draft aside from Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, so he knows how little draft order matters.

"It’s just a number. Go show everybody you should’ve been a first-round pick. At ten end of the day it’s not going to matter," Claude said. "I was the 26th pick and there were 21 teams at the time."