Milan Lucic Returns to Bruins on 1-Year, $1 Million Deal

After spending the last four seasons with the Calgary Flames, 35-year-old Milan Lucic returns to his original stomping grounds, the Boston Bruins, on a one-year, $1 million deal.

Lucic deal in Boston, one-year deal, $1M base salary plus performance bonuses https://t.co/vSLVJukGhn

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2023

Lucic spent the first eight years of his career with the Bruins, where he tallied 139 goals, 203 assists, and 342 points in 566 games, and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2011. He is returning to a Boston team that hopes to regain ground after an ultra-disappointing 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff run where they lost Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in Round 1. The Bruins look to be re-shaping their roster after dealing Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks, and with players like Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov opting to test the free agent market (Orlov just signed with the Carolina Hurricanes), a reunion with a fan-favorite Lucic can make sense for both sides.

He brings veteran leadership and knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup in Boston. His play is not what it once was, as he netted 7 goals, 12 assists, and 19 points in 77 games in Calgary last year, but he is still an effective, bottom-six forward who never makes it easy to play against. He knows his role as a pesky bruiser and plays it well. General manager Don Sweeney added pieces like James Van Riemsdyk on a one-year, $1 million deal and Morgan Geekie for two years, $4 million. Therefore, Lucic doesn’t move the needle too much in exploring other options as well, with less than $9 million in salary cap space.

By parting ways with Foligno, Lucic can fill in nicely and try to bring better fortunes and nostalgia to a team looking for redemption.

Next: Edmonton Oilers Sign Connor Brown to One-Year Deal with Bonus Structure