With Steven Stamkos off the market, arguably the biggest free agent name heading into the July 1 deadline is Milan Lucic. With the rumour mill circling on where Lucic will sign, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the big forward has narrowed his choices down to two teams with a choice coming on Friday.
The 28-year-old Lucic is best known for his physicality and hard-nosed game. He spent just one season with the Los Angeles Kings after being traded there from the Bruins prior to the 2015-16 season. The Kings and Lucic couldn’t come to a deal – with the power forward choosing to test the free agent market.
In 647 career regular season games, Lucic has notched 397 points (159g-238a) between the Bruins and Kings. On top of that, he brings 101 games of playoff experience. And that seems to be when he excels – having scored 64 points (26g-38a) in those 101 games.
Teams that’ve been reported as possible destinations include the Montreal Canadiens, the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars. The Canucks were also rumoured to be in the mix, but TSN 1040’s Matthew Sekeres put that one to rest.
The #Canucks were told this morning by Milan Lucic's camp that they are no longer being considered. He's not coming home #NHLFreeagency
— Matthew Sekeres (@mattsekeres) June 30, 2016
Lucic will be a significant piece for teams looking to take that next step. He’s coming off a 20-goal, 55-point season and still has a lot of hockey ahead of him.