In Search of Milan Lucic

One of the Oilers most significant offseason moves was the signing of UFA Milan Lucic out of Los Angeles. With a cap hit of $6 million per year for the next 7 years and 5 years of a no movement clause (as well as 2 years with modified NMC and NTC), it looks Lucic may have signed in Edmonton with the intent to retire here.

When he signed in Edmonton, there was a lot of talk about the qualities he can bring to a team. He’s big (6’3, 230lbs) and has a bit of a reputation for throwing big hits and getting in guys’ faces. He’s not untalented either; in 647 GP prior to this season, Lucic scored 159-238-397. He’s a Stanley Cup champion (and he was part of a team that beat the Canucks for the honour), and he’s got 9 years of NHL experience (which is more than many players in the Oilers lineup).

There was a lot of conversation about Lucic bringing that kind of intensity and grit to the Oilers lineup. In the first interview he conducted after he signed, Lucic said “I think the Oilers have been missing a little bit of attitude and a little bit of swagger over the last couple of years, and that’s something that I bring to a team as well. … I’m excited for another fresh start as well.” The video above shows the swagger and attitude he’s known for; his on ice performance thus far hasn’t.

The Tale of the Tape

The Milan Lucic we recognize from the Bruins Stanley Cup victory is not the Milan Lucic who has dressed for the Oilers this season. For starters, he’s 28 years old, and while he’s far from an old man he certainly doesn’t have the same skill or speed as, say, a Taylor Hall or Jamie Benn. The $6 million AAV the Oilers are paying Lucic doesn’t seem to be a solid investment as yet, considering he’s only put up 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points (while primarily playing on a line with Connor McDavid, who has 19 points).

This is the lowest 17-game point total of Lucic’s career, and if his historical production is a trend to pay attention to, he’ll top out somewhere around the 42 point mark for the year. Considering he was brought in as a 1LW, ostensibly to replace Taylor Hall, this isn’t good enough. Replacing 65+ points with ~42 points isn’t enough, even accounting for what should be an increase in production from Connor McDavid (you know, barring injury). The argument that Lucic will produce more because he’s playing with Connor isn’t without merit, but in the 3 previous seasons, when Lucic wasn’t playing with Connor, he produced more over 17 games. Considering McDavid has 14 assists going into tonight’s game, Lucic seems to be the player who isn’t performing.

It’s all well and good to talk about bringing back swagger and grit to a team that has, admittedly, been missing those qualities for a number of years. But when those qualities don’t come through after all the big talk, there’s a problem. On Sunday, after he broke his stick, Lucic skated to the bench as if play had stopped. Based on the reactions on Oilers Twitter, his lack of effort did not go unnoticed.

Why is Lucic dogging it to the bench? Geeeezus!

— Jamie (@jsumios) November 16, 2016

The Light At The End…?

The team is slumping (with a 4-game losing streak and a 2-6-1 record in their last 9 games), and it’s high time that someone not named Connor McDavid (or Patrick Maroon) starts producing some offence. Milan Lucic has been given the opportunity to be that player. He’s got a No Move clause for 5 years, and a limited no-move/no-trade for the last 2 years. If that’s not job security, nothing is.

With the trade of Taylor Hall in June, the door was left wide open for Lucic to walk through. He talked the big talk when he got here and whipped the fanbase into a frenzy over his grit and swagger, but he hasn’t walked the walk just yet.

To justify the chain of events that brought him here, he needs to.