Milan Lucic and His Return to Professional Hockey in Suspense
Milan Lucic’s return to professional hockey appears to be on hold. The St. Louis Blues have decided to end the professional tryout offer they had extended to the veteran forward, the team announced this Tuesday.
Lucic, who hasn’t played in the NHL for more than a year, initially signed a professional tryout with the Blues before the start of training camp.
The 37-year-old player scored a goal and an assist in four pre-season games before being affected by a lower body injury.
Subsequently, Lucic was assigned to the Blues’ AHL affiliate team, the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he recorded an assist in five games. In four of those five games, Lucic failed to take a shot on goal. His last game was on November 21, in the Thunderbirds’ 2-1 victory over the Utica Comets.
The burly 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 then four seasons with the Calgary Flames.
He signed a one-year contract worth $1 million to return to the Bruins before the 2023-24 season. Lucic recorded two points in four games before being hit by a puck in the ankle, 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 first quarter of the season, after reaching the playoffs last year. On Tuesday, they were seven points behind the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights in the fight for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, while they were four points above the Nashville Predators, who have the fewest points in the NHL.
