Milan Lucic and His Return to Professional Hockey: A Pause in St. Louis
Milan Lucic’s return to professional hockey has suffered a setback. The St. Louis Blues have decided to end the professional tryout agreement with the veteran forward, the team announced this Tuesday.
Lucic, who hasn’t played in the NHL for more than a year, initially signed a tryout contract with the Blues before the start of training camp. The 37-year-old player scored a goal and an assist in four preseason games, before being affected by a lower-body injury.
Subsequently, Lucic joined the Blues’ affiliate team in the AHL, the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he recorded an assist in five games. In four of those five games, Lucic failed to take a single shot. His last game was on November 21, in the Thunderbirds’ 2-1 victory over the Utica Comets.
The strong forward played his first eight seasons with the Bruins and was part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011, giving the franchise its first title since 1972.
Lucic had three seasons with more than 20 goals before leaving the Bruins after the 2014-15 season. He spent one season with the Los Angeles Kings, followed by three years with the Edmonton Oilers and four seasons with the Calgary Flames.
He signed a one-year contract for one million dollars to return to the Bruins before the 2023-24 season. Lucic accumulated two points in four games before suffering an ankle injury, which led to him being placed on long-term injured reserve.
He remained out of alignment and was then arrested on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member. The Bruins placed Lucic on indefinite leave for the remainder of the season.
The Blues (7-10-6) have had a complicated start to the season’s first quarter, after reaching the playoffs last year. On Tuesday, they were seven points behind the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, while they were four points ahead of the Nashville Predators for the fewest in the NHL.
