Expect Milan Lucic to Stay an Oiler… Unless

One of the mandates for new Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland is to try and move salary off the books. The quickest, yet most difficult way to do so would be sending veteran forward Milan Lucic off the roster and to another NHL franchise.

It’s a great idea in theory, but that’s not something easily done.

The Lucic Dilemma

Lucic, 30, has four years left on his seven-year, $42-million contract. The contract handed to him in the summer of 2016 was troubling. Now that he’s proven unproductive, that same contract has shown itself to be near-toxic.

In his first season with the Oilers, Lucic looked like he might have promise. With 23 goals and 50 points, his production was about what fans had expected over 82 games. After that first year came and went, he’s scored only 54 points in 161 games. Sadly, only 16 of those have been goals.

He knows he’s played poorly and he’s searched for solutions. He simply can’t find them. And, at $6 million per season, there’s not a team in the NHL that would be willing to take that kind of money on, except maybe one.

The Other Lucic Solution

The reality is, both sides might be better served to dump the contracts, even if a buyout is painful. Moving money off the books and sending a clear message to the rest of the roster is something a few NHL insiders have suggested the Oilers might consider. It’s not great value and it’s fair to say it could be a mistake long-term, but there is value there.

There are two problems with this idea. First, this is fiscally irresponsible of the Oilers if you think you can get more out of Lucic at $24 million over four seasons than by being assessed a cap hit of $19 million over four seasons to cut him. Second, the minute you move Lucic, as invaluable as he’s been, you need to replace Lucic. Buying him out makes that exponentially more difficult.

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