A Milan Lucic-Bruins reunion rumor has emerged
BOSTON -- It's been a long time since Milan Lucic donned a Boston Bruins sweater. Eight years, to be precise. And since his departure, hockey fans in Boston have longed to see a physical, imposing, fearless, big-bodied forward fill the vacancy left by Lucic. Nobody's really been able to do it.
And while the current version of Lucic is nothing like the version of Lucic that left via trade in 2015, Bruins fans may finally get to see the return of the player they never really wanted to see leave Boston in the first place.
That's according to one report out of Vancouver from Rick Dhaliwal. He tweeted Wednesday that he's hearing about a possible reunion between Lucic and the Bruins.
Hearing possible reunion with Milan Lucic and the Boston Bruins.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 28, 2023
On his show, Donnie & Dhali, he explained a bit further.
"I am being told that it looks like possibly pretty strong that there's gonna be a reunion between Lucic and the Boston Bruins," Dhaliwal said. "He was really comfortable in Boston, you know that. He had some of his best years in Boston. ... I'm hearing Milan Lucic and Boston, the Bruins. So, there you go."
In our opening segment @DhaliwalSports shared the news regarding a possible reunion between Milan Lucic and the Boston Bruins.
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) June 28, 2023
Catch up on the guys thoughts now!https://t.co/h4e2SKLzpb pic.twitter.com/cZPRyjwwRX
After that, Dhaliwal doubled down on his first report, saying the reunion "will" happen.
As reported 1st here, Lucic to the Bruins will happen.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 28, 2023
NHL reporter Chris Johnston also reported the possibility.
With Milan Lucic free to speak with teams ahead of free agency opening Saturday, it sounds like a reunion with the Boston Bruins is a strong possibility.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 28, 2023
The 35-year-old Lucic is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday. He was drafted by the Bruins in the second round of the 2006 draft, and he made his NHL debut as a 19-year-old to start the 2007-08 season. He let his presence be known early in his second season, sending Toronto defenseman Mike Van Ryn through the glass in 2008.
Lucic tied for the Bruins' team lead in points in the 2010-11 season, scoring 30 goals and tallying 32 assists, before helping the Bruins win their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.
All told, Lucic skated in 566 regular-season games and 96 postseason games for Boston, scoring 139 goals with 203 assists in the regular season and 26 goals with 35 assists in the postseason. He was traded to the L.A. Kings in the summer of 2015, and he went on to play for Edmonton (2016-19) and Calgary (2019-23).
He's averaged just 8.2 goals and 12.4 assists per season over the last five years, but he's played in all but five games over the past two seasons. If the Bruins are looking to round out their fourth line with an imposing presence at a low cost, Lucic would seemingly fit the bill for a team in need of that type of player.