Lucic wants to play again but he needs Bettman's approval first
Despite sitting out for the majority of the 2023-24 season, Milan Lucic is training in the hopes of landing a new NHL contract.
After spending four seasons with the Calgary Flames from 2019 to 2023, the 36-year-old returned to the Boston Bruins last summer on a one-year, $1 million deal. The return didn’t go as planned, however, as he logged just four games.
Lucic’s season was derailed in November after he was arrested in November following an alleged domestic incident with his now ex-wife, Brittany. He was placed on leave for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign and is now back to being a free agent.
This afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported on X that Lucic hopes to continue playing but needs to be cleared by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to do so.
Update: Sources say Milan Lucic has been training in New Jersey this summer in an attempt to continue his playing career.
Lucic is currently ineligible to return to the #NHL. He was arrested in Boston last November for assault and battery, plead not guilty, and charges were…
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 15, 2024
“Sources say Milan Lucic has been training in New Jersey this summer in an attempt to continue his playing career,” Seravalli wrote. “Lucic is currently ineligible to return to the NHL. He was arrested in Boston last November for assault and battery, plead not guilty, and charges were dropped in February when his wife invoked marital privilege and declined to testify.”
As Seravalli also mentioned, Lucic was never formally suspended by the NHL following his arrest but entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Prosecutors dropped charges against him in February.
Lucic, who was selected 50th overall in the 2006 draft, has played a combined 1,177 games in stints with the Bruins, LA Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Flames. Over that time, he has amassed 233 goals, 586 points, and 1,301 penalty minutes.
Though Lucic is no longer the offensively dangerous power forward he was early in his career with the Bruins, his physicality and willingness to drop the gloves have allowed him to maintain some value in a bottom-six role. He’s racked up north of $72 million in career earnings, which suggests he would be willing to take a low salary to continue his playing career.
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