The Basic Info
Milan Lucic is a villain, pure and simple. And in his role, which is the large guy who crashes the net and plays like a prison-league ringer at times, that works. He also has enough goals and points to command the respect of defenders across the league. No one likes playing against him.
Lucic is left handed, has the size of a Dodge Durango, and has the durability you’d want in a large scoring threat. He’s only missed 10 games since 2010.
That all sounds great… but everyone will want this guy. He won’t be cheap. This is just us doing our diligence and putting out content that’s worth reading. You’re probably reading this to yourself with a smirk on your face.
Recent Stats
Lucic has played beside David Krejci and Anze Kopitar recently. More on that in a bit, but check out how Lucic faired vs. rest of the league:
Notice the top left where it’s comparing his linemates with vs. without him? Milan Lucic has played over 3400 minutes at even strength over the last three seasons. And as you would expect with a player that has his build and skills, he’s played beside some studs:
- 1500+ minutes with David Krejci
- 1000+ minutes with Jarome Iginla
- 650+ minutes with Tyler Toffoli
- 620+ minutes with Anze Kopitar
- 500+ minutes with Jeff Carter
- His most frequent defensemen? Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Dennis Seidenberg, Drew Doughty & Jake Muzzin.
- None of those players listed above suck.
This shouldn’t be breaking news: Lucic is good. He made those players more effective while they were together on the the ice. But for a big guy that plays near the net… something is missing from his game.
His final tally for 2015-16:
| Season | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | PP Goals | PP Assists | PP Points |
| Regular Season | 81 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Playoffs | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Maybe we’re the weird ones, but shouldn’t a big guy who is known to play around the net have more power play production?
Where Would He Fit?
There’s only place where he’d fit: to the left of Ryan Johansen. Johansen made Nick Foligno a lot of money, thanks to Joey’s slick passing and Foligno being a left-handed shot that plays near the net. That’s the whole story with Lucic. No other place makes sense.
Here’s a shot location chart for Lucic:
That’s a lot of red. That’s over the last two years, so remember that Lucic did play on two possession monster teams.
Does It Make Sense?
No.
Well, okay…. Lucic is a very good player and has a size that coaches would love to have on their roster. But someone is going to pay this guy a lot of money on a contract that will go beyond 2020. And for the obscene amount of money he’ll command, some power play tallies would be nice. And given the patience Nashville has shown building this roster, Lucic would be a complete deviation of this plan. Lucic will be looking for a massive deal that will pay him into his 30’s. That doesn’t fit the plan.
Lucic will probably go to some place like Vancouver or Brooklyn or Buffalo, and live handsomely in a new house he’ll pay cash for this summer. Sure, it would be cool to see him next to Joey and Neal, but dream at your own discretion.