Boston Bruins: Milan Lucic Set For Homecoming
Boston Bruins: Milan Lucic Set For Homecoming
For eight years Milan Lucic embodied everything that the Boston Bruins stand for: toughness, grit, muscle and effort. He could score, he could hit, and he could fight. Three times he had more than twenty goals, and three times he accumulated more than 100 penalty minutes. It should be no surprise that at some point on Tuesday night when the Bruins host the Los Angeles Kings that Milan Lucic gets a raucous ovation.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
The fan favorite of the Black & Gold brotherhood saw his time in Boston come to an end on June 26th of last year when he was shipped out to Los Angeles for goalie Martin Jones, defenseman Colin Miller and a first round draft pick in last year’s draft, which they used to select defenseman Jakub Zboril with the thirteenth pick. Jones was then sent out west as well, to San Jose, and in return the Bruins received center Sean Kuraly and a first round pick in this year’s draft.
More from Causeway Crowd
- Harrison, Toporowski shine in Prospects Challenge
- Obscure former Boston Bruins: Steven Kampfer
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins release full “Historic 100” list ahead of season
- McAvoy, Lucic named to “Historic 100” list over the weekend
To sum it up, for Lucic the Bruins received Colin Miller, Jakub Zboril, Sean Kuraly, and a first round pick this summer. Who won that trade? While it’s still too early to tell, this could be a trade that benefits both teams. The Kings have 65 points in 51 games, while the Bruins have 62 in 52 games. Lucic is fifth on his team in scoring with 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists. Five Bruins forwards have more points than that, although nobody on the Bruins has five game-winning goals like Lucic does. He leads the Kings in that category.
When Lucic left Boston, he took with him a presence on the ice, on the bench, and even in the building that is sorely missed. Opponents knew he was there. Even though Torey Krug admitted to starting his recent fight with the much larger Chris Stewart, one wonders if Stewart would have obliged if Lucic was still wearing the spoked B that evening.
Next: If Loui Leaves Does Looch Return?
The Kings recently professed their allegiance to leading scorer Anze Kopitar when they signed him to an eight year extension that will pay him over $80,000,000. They will have young superstar Tyler Toffoli up at the end of next season. Lucic sees his contract expire after this season and will be an unrestricted free agent. He currently earns $3,250,000. Not so coincidentally, current Bruins winger Loui Eriksson will be a UFA at the end of this year. He earns $4,250,000 and will be looking for a raise. If he isn’t dealt within the next three weeks, he will most likely walk at the end of the season. That means the Bruins would free up a million dollars more than what Lucic currently earns. Chris Kelly is on the books for $3,000,000 and will most likely not return when his deal expires at the end of the season. If the Kings opt to spend their money elsewhere, a former fan favorite will be available, and he’ll only be 28 years of age when next season rolls around.