A Winning Habit
Fansided

Canadiens Free Agent Options: Milan Lucic

By William Mccomb

Apr 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Milan Lucic (17) reacts against the San Jose Sharks during the second period in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Milan Lucic (17) reacts against the San Jose Sharks during the second period in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

He’s long been an adversary of the Canadiens but now that he’s a free agent, could MilanLucic join his former rivals?

The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have one of the biggest rivalries in sports. These two teams cannot stand each other.

Milan Lucic was in the middle of this heated rivalry for 8 seasons. He has also been in the middle of some controversial moments against the Canadiens in his career. Their was that moment at the end of the 2014 Canadiens-Bruins series where Lucic reportedly threatened Dale Weise. Their was also that time he speared Alexei Emelin in the groin, called him a chicken and later denied spearing Emelin.

More from A Winning Habit

The reason Lucic has been a focal point in this rivalry is the fact he is very effective at what he does. You want evidence? The Montreal Canadiens continually brought in veteran tough guys like Georges Laraque and George Parros with the sole purpose of countering the Bruins usage of Lucic.

It never really worked but they still kept doing it.

We’re now in June 2016. Lucic is less than a month away from hitting the open market after spending last year with the Los Angeles Kings. Is he a realistic option for the Canadiens?

With holes on the 2nd line and the common theme that the Canadiens need more size, you would think the Lucic-to-Montreal connection would be a natural fit.

The Player

Their once was a time where Lucic was commonly referred to as a modern day Cam Neely. Though he hasn’t quite lived up to those lofty expectations, Lucic has been an effective player in his own right.

He’s topped 20 goals and 50 points in 4 of his last 6 seasons. He also returned to being a positive possession player after back to back negative Corsi Relative seasons. He’s fully capable of changing the course of a game with his style of play.

At 28 years old age, Lucic is in the prime of his career. Despite that, many are uncertain about whether or not he is worth a large investment. I’ve seen some use advanced metrics as a means to show Lucic’s regression.

It’s true, his possession metrics took a bit of a dive prior to his 2016 rebound but all of his other metrics have remained in line with what he has done in his career. His Points Per 60 Minutes have remained steady in all situations and his 2016 shooting percentage(16.1%) was right in line with his career average.

Next: Canadiens Off-Season: 5 Free Agents to Avoid

Potential Contract

Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal recently speculated that Lucic could be in line for a 5-7 year contract. He didn’t speculate on the value of the potential contract.

He recently just completed a 3 year extension which paid him $6 million a season. Based on that and his potential market, Lucic is likely going to command in the neighborhood of $6.5 million per season. That’s a fair amount of money and likely prices him out of the Canadiens’ target range.

Ultimately, I can see the Canadiens pursuing Lucic though I don’t think he’ll sign. The money just doesn’t seem to really work for the Canadiens. Then theirs the history between the team and player which makes the fit awkward. As well, from what has been written in regards to Lucic and his pending UFA status, he seems to really want to stay in LA. And if not LA, theirs been talk of him going to other western cities.

Home/Editorials