Blues sign Milan Lucic to professional tryout

A former grinder is trying to stay in the game.

On Monday, St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced that the team has signed forward Milan Lucic to a professional tryout agreement.

Lucic has continued to train for the ice, even though he has been out of action for almost two years. The former Boston Bruins tough guy started the 2023-24 season in Beantown, but was arrested in November of that campaign for assault and battery after allegedly attacking his wife, Brittany. However, the charges were dropped a few months later.

The instance led to Lucic entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program while the investigation was ongoing.

It seems at this point in Lucic’s career, the chances of making an NHL roster seem like a long shot. His performance leading to his return to Boston was on the downward, having scored just 19 points in 77 games with the Calgary Flames during the 2022-23 season. Then again, never say never.

At one point, Lucic was one of the more feared players in the NHL. His ferocious physicality, paired with a knack for scoring dirty goals around the net, made him a force that was difficult to deal with. The former second-round pick burst onto the scene with the Bruins during the 2007-08 season. Across eight seasons in Boston, he scored over 40 points five times, hitting the 60-point mark twice. In 2010-11, Lucic notched a career-high 32 goals and 62 points. That spring, he helped the Bruins capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

The Vancouver native was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in June 2014, spending one season in Hollywood before signing with the Edmonton Oilers. With a young core featuring Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, Lucic was a veteran figure on a team that advanced to the postseason in 2016-17. He played three seasons with the Oilers before he was dealt to Calgary in July 2019.

In 1,117 NHL regular-season contests, Lucic has scored 233 goals and 353 assists for 586 points, with 1,301 penalty minutes. He also scored 77 points in 136 playoff games.