Much was made of the triumphant return of Milan Lucic to the Boston Bruins after spending several years with the Calgary Flames and other organizations. He was offered numerous contracts from various teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he turned them down to return to Boston.
Unfortunately for his case, his return has been less than ideal, as he suffered an injury early in the season. This past week, head coach Jim Montgomery stated that Lucic suffered a lower-body injury and would be out for a couple of weeks. As most people know, he has had injuries in the past that have sidelined him for long periods.
Recently, his condition worsened with the news that he was added to the long-term injury reserve list or LTIR. When a player is put on this list, it means their cap hit will no longer count towards the team, freeing up money to add another player. More importantly, it could mean that his career in the NHL is over.
Although his contract is small, with only a $1 million hit, this money could be used to bring in a new player to replace him.
Having played for the Bruins, Kings, Oilers, Flames, and now back in Boston, he has played 1177 games and scored 233 goals with 353 assists for 586 points. He has a +59 rating and has accumulated 1301 penalty minutes. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins back in 2010-2011.
