It’s no secret that Milan Lucic has had a rough few seasons in Edmoton. Last season, he posted the lowest scoring total of his career with just six goals in 79 games, and perhaps that’s why the Oilers decided to flip him to the Flames for James Neal on Friday, another veteran who has likewise struggled to live up to his usual standard.
Maybe the change of scenery will help both players, and it’s certainly something that Lucic is looking forward to. He had a no-trade clause in his contract, but waived it in order to join the Flames, a team with lofty playoff aspirations after finishing with the best record in the Western Conference last season.
Lucic is looking forward to contributing for a team competing night in and night out for a title.
It remains to be seen if he’ll actually be able to bounce back, but at 31 years of age, you can hardly rule it out. He’s also tried a couple other tactics to try to spark things, including switching back to his old stick at the end of the 2018 season, but so far, nothing has clicked.
But, as Flames general manager Brad Treliving says, maybe Lucic just needs a change! We’ll find out this upcoming season.
