NHL Notebook: Milan Lucic signs PTO with St. Louis Blues, Red Wings to retire Fedorov’s number

Milan Lucic’s NHL comeback will start with a chance to crack the St. Louis Blues’ roster.

The team announced Tuesday that they had signed the power forward to a professional tryout, giving Lucic his first look after being out of the league for nearly two years.

Lucic, 37, last played for the Boston Bruins in 2023-24, but his reunion with the team that drafted him was short-lived, as he dressed for just four games due to injury. In November 2023, Lucic was arrested and was charged with assault and battery after allegedly attacking his wife, Brittany, but the charges were dropped months later. Lucic was in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program while the investigation took place.

His last full season was 2022-23 for the Flames, scoring seven goals and 19 points in 77 games. Most known for his time with the Bruins, winning the 2011 Stanley Cup in his fourth season, the winger signed a seven-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers ahead of the 2016-17, scoring 39 goals and 104 points in 243 games. He lasted just three years before the Oilers and Flames swapped problem contracts, with Edmonton bringing back James Neal, who played two seasons for the team.

In August 2024, it was reported that Lucic had been training in New Jersey in hopes of returning to the NHL, but no team took a chance on him at the time.

Red Wings to retire Fedorov’s number

No. 91 is set to hang in the rafters forever.

The Detroit Red Wings announced Tuesday that they would be retiring Sergei Fedorov’s number during their centennial 2025-26 season. The ceremony will be held on January 12th, 2026, ahead of a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“We are honored (sic) to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” said Red Wings CEO Chris Ilitch in a statement on Tuesday. “His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor (sic).”

Drafted by the Red Wings in the third round of the 1989 draft, Fedorov debuted a year later in teh 1990-91 season, making an immediate impact scoring 31 goals and 79 points in 77 games. His fourth season in 1993-94 was his best, scoring 56 goals and 120 points in 82 games, winning the Hart Trophy, Selke Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay award).

He would three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 class.

Later in his career he would play with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Columbus Blue Jackets before retiring with the Washington Capitals after the 2008-09 season.